The AFCON Review | Which Ligue 1 players impressed during the final?

Key Highlights

• Arguments were breaking out in the press box and dozens of Senegal fans were trying to invade the pitch, with riot police eventually pushing them back. The chaos in the stands continued as, at the other end of the pitch, Brahim Díaz dinked his penalty straight into Mendy’s hands.
• As the Atlas Lions were still reeling from the penalty miss, it was former Marseille midfielder Pape Gueye who would clinch the title in extra-time with an emphatic strike.
• It was fitting that Mané, who single-handedly saved the final from further disgrace, played a crucial part in the goal with a backheel in the build-up. While the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah emptied out at record speed by the end of extra-time, tensions on and off the pitch did not dissipate.
• Thiaw would be jeered by local journalists on his arrival for the post-match press conference, prompting officials to cancel the media engagement. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt didn’t take long for Senegal to sew the second star onto their badge, but the various threads that led to Sunday’s infamous finale will take a while to untangle. The match – which Ligue 1 players impressed?Yassine Bounou had hardly been called into action up until the semi-final shoot-out earlier in the week, with Morocco only conceding two shots on target from within their penalty area until the final.
• This time, he would make two decisive saves in the first half, the first within minutes of kick-off from a Pape Gueye header.