Story by[Andalou via ]BBCMon, January 19, 2026 at 11:48 AM UTC·2 min readSenegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has declared Monday a public holiday after the national team won the Africa Cup of Nations after beating tournament hosts Morocco 1-0 in a dramatic final on Sunday. A disallowed goal, players walking off the pitch and a saved penalty made it a tense night in the stadium in the Moroccan capital, Rabat. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn Senegal's capital, Dakar, supporters were excited as they gathered at an outdoor screen at the foot of the giant African Renaissance Monument. As the match unfolded the tension was too much to bear for some.[Reuters]The moment Morocco's Brahim Diaz stepped up to take the penalty that would have won his country the Afcon trophy for the first time in 50 years was unwatchable for this Senegal fan. But his miss and Senegal's subsequent goal in extra time were met with ecstasy in Dakar.[EPA]"What just happened is divine... a scenario as if it were a Netflix series is crazy," fan Mohamed Diop told the Reuters news agency.[]The other side of the coin, of course, was the devastation for Moroccans at a fan park in the city of Sale.[ANP via ]"Maybe next time," one man told Reuters. "We have good players.
