The viral blunders from the most controversial Africa Cup of Nations final

BarcelonaThe Africa Cup of Nations ended in a heartbreaking defeat for Morocco on Sunday. The host nation played the final at home, seemingly poised for victory against Senegal, but lost in extra time after conceding a stunning goal from Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye. Beyond the scoreline, which left the crowd at the Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat reeling, the final's events cast a particularly harsh shadow over the Moroccan team, who, 24 hours after the final whistle, are still struggling to come to terms with the loss. Below, we review the embarrassing moments associated with what has been the most controversial Africa Cup of Nations final in recent memory.

Brahim's Panenka-style penalty

With the score tied at zero after almost 100 intense minutes on the pitch, the referee, Congolese Jean-Jacques Ngambo Ndala, awarded a penalty to the home team. The referee and VAR deemed a foul between El Hadji Diouf and Brahim Díaz a punishable offense. It was the 98th minute, and the Real Madrid winger, a standout performer in this Africa Cup of Nations, stepped up to take the spot kick. The hopes of an entire nation rested on his skill in beating Édouard Mendy, the Senegalese goalkeeper. Brahim, who had chosen Morocco over Spain, tried to make history by taking the penalty with a Panenka-style chip, but his attempt backfired spectacularly, as Mendy didn't let himself be fooled and waited for the ball to roll gently into his hands. The young Real Madrid forward didn't recover from the miss and was substituted by his coach in extra time, a match that will be a bitter memory for the Moroccans. Hours after the disappointment, he apologized via social media.

The controversy surrounding the Senegalese goalkeeper's towel

Before becoming the scourge of the Moroccan national team, Mendy had to call on his assistant, Yehvann Diouf, to prevent someone from stealing the towel he was using to dry his gloves. The match was played in the rain, and the Senegalese goalkeeper didn't want to lose his grip when blocking shots. That's why it was so important for him to keep his towel, and several local ball boys tried to take it from him even while Diouf was guarding it. The Nice goalkeeper even went to the ground to hold onto the coveted item. Images of these unsportsmanlike attempts have gone viral on social media. In fact, it wasn't just the ball boys who were involved. PSG's Achraf Hakimi also tried to take Mendy's towel. However, the Senegalese goalkeeper sprinted behind an advertising hoarding to retrieve it.

The Senegalese threat and Morocco's response

Another of the most heated moments of the match was the Senegalese team's reaction after Brahim missed a penalty just before the end of regulation time. Pape Thiaw, the visiting team's coach, instructed his players to leave the pitch in protest against the referee's decision. Only Sadio Mané strategically remained on the field to avoid a disqualification that would have been disastrous. The final was halted for more than 20 minutes due to the Senegalese players' protest, who later celebrated reaching extra time because Morocco missed the penalty in question. Less than a day after this incident, the North African country's federation filed a complaint with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA regarding these events. "All of this significantly affected the course of the match and the players' performance," the federation stated.