8 maddest moments from AFCON last from walk-off chaos to craziest penalty ever

The AFCON final will be remembered for all the wrong reasons as Senegal win the tournament for the first time in five years by beating Morocco in an action-packed match

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Senegal were crowned champions of Africa on Sunday night after defeating Morocco in the most dramatic final to date. The 2021 champions went from zero to hero in a matter of minutes in a dramatic final in Rabat.

After Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr had his goal disallowed early in injury time, referee Jean Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco a penalty after El Hadji Malick Diouf brought down Brahim Diaz.

The referee reviewed the incident on the VAR monitor before Senegal temporarily refused to play following the controversial penalty award. Head coach Pape Thiaw ushered his team off the field, and some made their way back into the dressing room.

However, after Sadio Mane encouraged his teammates to come back out to the field, Edouard Mendy saved Diaz’s penalty, and the final went to extra time. Pape Gueye then struck the winner four minutes into extra time to spark wild scenes.

Here, we bring the moments of madness from a chaotic final…

Disallowed goal

After a tight 90 minutes between the tournament’s two best teams, Senegal thought they had grabbed a late winner. Sarr had turned the ball home from close range after Abdoulaye Seck’s header was planted onto the post.

However, the goal was ruled out after it was judged that Seck had fouled Achraf Hakimi before getting to the ball. That’s when the chaos began.

Penalty decision

Just moments later, referee Ndala was forced into another decision at the other end. West Ham’s Diouf was involved in an incident with Diaz as a corner was delivered into the Senegal box.

After reviewing the challenge on the on-field monitor, a penalty was awarded in the eighth minute of injury-time. Replays showed that Diaz had gone down easily after contact from Diouf.

Senegal exit the pitch

The decision was not a popular one among the Senegal players and bench, obviously. The final turned even more dramatic when Senegal boss Pape Thiaw beckoned his players over with most of them exiting the pitch.

TV cameras showed many of them walking down the tunnel and into the changing room. Former Liverpool star Sadio Mane was the only one who stayed out before some of his teammates returned.

Protests from the crowd

When the game was stopped, frustrations boiled over within the supporters inside the stadium. Footage shared on social media shows police fighting with Senegal fans who had stormed the pitch from their seats.

One video showed fans fighting with police at the other end of the penalty, just as Diaz was lining-up to take.

Mendy the hero

15 minutes after the penalty was awarded, Brahim Diaz was gifted the opportunity to win the tournament for his nation from the spot. However, after a delay from Mendy just before the spot-kick, Diaz dinked the ball straight at Mendy for a simple save.

The full-time whistle quickly followed to hand Senegal an incredibly unlikely lifeline.