Sunday Jan 18, 2026. 23:24
Join AfricanFootball.com for LIVE updates from all 52 matches of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, as 24 teams battle for glory in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January.
Today’s match:
18h00 – Senegal v Morocco – Match Centre
Updates:
98’ – Morocco with a double change to try and turn things around, with Diaz and Mazraoui making way for Ilias Akhomach and Hamza Igamane.
97’ – Diaz with a shot on target, but Mendy makes the save. Can Morocco summon something miraculous?
94’ – GOAL! Senegal 1-0 Morocco. Pape Gueye scores a screamer and the Teranga Lions have the lead! The Villarreal midfielder drives forward and smashes a left-footed shot into the top corner!
91’ – Start of extra time. What further drama awaits in Rabat?
90+25’ – Full time. Senegal 0-0 Morocco. A bizarre end to the ‘regulation’ 90 minutes! We go to extra time!
90+24’ – Penalty missed! Brahim Diaz tries a Panenka penalty and Edouard Mendy makes an easy save! What on earth is going on in this final?!
90+20’ – It seems as if Sadio Mane has managed to convince his teammates to return to the pitch and it seems we will – finally – have the spot kick and the likely end of the match.
90+17’ – We await a resolution in Rabat. This would be an awful way for a great tournament to come to an end…
90+14’ – Senegal’s players have mostly left the playing field in protest at the VAR-awarded penalty. The replays suggest it was a fair decision from referee Jean-Jacques Ndala. Brahim Diaz made the most of it, but he was hauled down by the Senegalese defender.
90+12’ – We wait for the penalty to be taken, but it appears as if Senegal are threatening a walk-off! Bizarre scenes…
90+8’ – Penalty confirmed! Morocco are one shot away from AFCON glory!
90+7 – A late VAR check for a penalty for Morocco! Brahim Diaz was dragged down by Malick Diouf and this could be a chance for the Atlas Lions to win it!
90+2’ – Senegal have the ball in the back of the net, but the referee has blown for what seems a foul by Abdoulaye Seck on Achraf Hakimi. No goal!
90+1’ – There will be eight minutes of added time.
90’ – Senegal’s Mbaye hits a shot from the edge of the penalty area and draws a fine save out of Bounou! Morocco then counter and Ezzalzouli drives a shot off target from a tight angle down the left.
89’ – Jawad El Yamiq replaces the injured Adam Masina in defence for Morocco.
85’ – Closing in on the end of 90 minutes, but there’s bound to be a significant amount of injury time – probably 10 minutes or more.
80’ – Morocco’s first changes see Youssef En Nesyire replace Ayoub El Kaabi, while El Khannouss is out for Oussama Targhalline
77’ – Triple change for Senegal: Ismaila Sarr, Ibrahim Mbaye and Abdoulaye Seck are on, Antoine Mendy, Lamine Camara and Iliman Ndiaye are off.
75’ – We are back underway. El Aynaoui has a huge bandage around his head and will play on.
66’ – A nasty clash of heads between Malick Diouf and El Aynaoui has left the latter with a gash to the head that is bleeding freely, and we naturally have a break in play while he receives treatment.
63’ – More chances spurned for Morocco: El Kaabi sees his low shot blocked, then Ezzalzouli tries to curl one into the top corner from a tight angle, but can’t find the target.
58’ – Bilal El Khannouss plays in a brilliant low cross from the right to pick out El Kaabi, but the striker puts his effort wide of the far post! Best chance of the match so far!
51’ – Good early pressure from Morocco, they are playing with much more pace and intensity since the restart.
46’ – Back underway in the second half. No changes from either side.
45+5’ – Half time. Senegal 0-0 Morocco. Goalless at the break in this AFCON final. The Teranga Lions have had more possession and the better chances, but nothing to show for it. The Atlas Lions will look to assert themselves more in the second stanza.
45+1’ – There will be an indicated four minutes of added time.
41’ – Morocco’s first real chance sees Abde Ezzalzouli play an in-swinging cross from the left to pick out Nayef Aguerd, but the defender can’t direct a header on target.
38’ – Iliman Ndiaye with an amazing chance for Senegal, going free down the right of the attack, but his low shot is turned wide by the outstretched leg of Bounou! What a crucial save!
31’ – Past the half-hour mark, still goalless in this AFCON final. Senegal have done well to hold a lot of possession and quieten the home crowd thus far.
24’ – Lamine Camara makes an ugly lunge on Neil El Aynaoui in midfield and picks up the first yellow card of the final.
20’ – Saibari is played in behind the defence by Ayoub El Kaabi and puts an effort wide, but the offside flag is up anyway.
14’ – Morocco are beginning to find their passing rhythm after a nervy opening. Ismael Saibari drives toward the edge of the box and lets fly, but slices his effort well off target.
5’ – Great chance for Senegal’s Pape Gueye, as he meets a corner kick at the far post, but his goal-ward header is scrambled away by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou!
1’ – Kick-off. Senegal 0-0 Morocco. We are underway at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. The Teranga Lions are in all-green, while the Atlas Lions wear all-white.
The teams’ most recent meeting was in the semifinals of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Kampala last year: it ended 1-1 after extra time, with Morocco triumphing 5-3 on penalties.
20h50: In head-to-head terms, Senegal and Morocco have met 31 times, dating back as far as 1968. The Atlas Lions have claimed 18 wins compared to seven for the Teranga Lions, while six games have been drawn.
Morocco, meanwhile, have selected the same XI that started their semifinal against Nigeria.
Line-ups:
Senegal: E. Mendy, A. Mendy, M. Sarr, M. Niakhite, M. Diouf, I. Gueye, L. Camara, P. Gueye, I. Ndiaye, S. Mane, N. Jackson
Morocco: Y. Bounou, A. Hakimi, N. Aguerd, A. Masina, N. Mazraoui, N. El Aynaoui, A. Ezzalzouli, B. El Khannouss, B. Diaz, I. Saibari, A. El Kaabi
Senegal have made three changes to their starting XI compared to the semifinal win over Egypt, with Antoine Mendy, Lamine Camara and Mamadou Sarr replacing Krepin Diatta, Habib Diarra and Kalidou Koulobaly.
Morocco, meanwhile, edged Nigeria on penalties in a tense and emotionally-fraught semifinal, giving them the chance to win their second continental championship – and end a wait of 50 years for a return to the pinnacle of African football. Doing so on home soil would be the cherry on top for Walid Regragui and his charges.
Senegal, vanquishers of seven-time champions Egypt in the semifinals, are chasing their second AFCON title and another crowning moment for their ‘golden generation’ of players such as Sadio Mane, Kalidou Koulibaly and Idrissa Gueye.
Fifty-one matches, 120 goals, a combined attendance of over 1.2 million in stadiums across Morocco, and countless moments of drama and genius have led us to this culmination of the 35th edition of the AFCON, as the Teranga Lions and Atlas Lions battle for glory.
20h30 – The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final sees Senegal face host nation Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.