Ayoub El Kaabi twice went agonisingly close for Morocco, while Ezzalzouli fired narrowly over. Morocco piled on late pressure, twice testing Edouard Mendy through Ezzalzouli, but the Senegal goalkeeper stood tall. It was also Senegal’s first-ever goal in an AFCON final. En-Nesyri also went inches wide with a powerful header, while Mendy twice denied him after a perfectly weighted pass from Ezzalzouli. For Senegal, this triumph crowned a decade of sustained excellence that began with their 2021 AFCON victory and was shaped by continuity, collective identity, and the developmental influence of CHAN.

Source: Daily Nation January 19, 2026 03:46 UTC