Morocco Stuns Senegal in Penalty Shootout, Advances to CHAN Final Against Madagascar

Senegal had nevertheless opened the scoring in this match. In the 17th minute of play, Joseph Layousse gave his team the lead with a header. The Moroccan response came quickly, as Sabir Bougrine equalized for the team led by Tarik Sektioui in the 23rd minute. It was with this 1-1 score that the two teams went to the locker rooms at half-time.

This result did not change during the second half, which was marked by an important refereeing decision. In the 53rd minute, Moroccan defender Marouane Louadni was first sent off by the South African referee. However, the latter went back on his decision after consulting the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), canceling the red card to replace it with a simple caution.

With the scoreboard still tied, the two teams were unable to break the deadlock either at the end of regulation time or during the two extra time periods. The qualification for the final was therefore decided on penalties, a session that turned in favor of Morocco with a score of 5 to 3.

As a result of this result, Morocco will face Madagascar in the CHAN final. The match will be held next Saturday at 6:00 pm in Nairobi, Kenya. Senegal, for its part, will play the third-place match against Sudan, on Friday, back at the "Mandela" national stadium in Kampala.