Morocco hosts Morocco, who will face Senegal for the first time in 50 years, as the continent’s two top footballing powerhouses come to an end in the continent’s final showdown on Sunday.
The match will begin at 1900 GMT at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, where almost all of the 69, 000 spectators will support the country’s side led by African player of the year Achraf Hakimi.
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The Atlas Lions hope to win the first AFCON that has ever started in one year and ended in another, with the host nation hoping to do so in Abidjan in 2024.
Morocco, which reached a World Cup semi-final in 2022 as a first-ever nation under the leadership of Africa, has established itself in recent years as the country’s top national team, just above Italy.
However, they have struggled in the AFCON, with their only title having been in 1976. With Regragui on the team, they will reach their first final since 2004, when they lost to Tunisia.
Meanwhile, Senegal are making their third final of four games and aiming for a second title in place of their 2022 success, when Mane scored the decisive penalty in a shoot-out victory over Egypt in Yaounde.
Regragui told reporters in the Moroccan capital on Saturday, “We dreamed of being here, and we have accomplished it.”
If he hadn’t at least led the team this far, he might not have been able to carry the title with him for the football-mad nation.
He continued, “I hope this is just the beginning, not our final AFCON final.”
“Big football nations aim to compete regularly.” We want to make history today (Sunday).
Senegal will need to be extraordinarily strong to defeat them at home, he continued.
The success of Morocco over the past four weeks has been attributed to Real Madrid’s winger Brahim Diaz’s attacking flair, which has allowed only five goals in the competition, as well as a defense that has conceded just once, as well as a penalty in a group-stage draw with Mali.
– Security concerns
Senegal have complained about the manner in which they were welcomed to Rabat ahead of the game, which adds extra pressure but can also be very advantageous.
Before arriving in Rabat by train on Friday, The Lions of Teranga spent the majority of their time in Tangiers, the city’s northern port city.
The Senegalese Football Federation expressed “serious concerns” in a statement, including “a lack of adequate security” for the team’s arrival, which “put the players and staff in danger.”
Additionally, it complained about the hotel the delegation received, the fact that there were fewer than 3, 000 tickets for the final for their supporters, and the Moroccan team’s nearby Sale training facility.
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw remarked, “What happened was not normal.”
Anything could have happened, given the number there, they said. My players were in danger, I imagine.
That kind of interaction shouldn’t take place between two neighboring nations.
Mane, a two-time African player of the year winner, declared that Sunday’s game would be his final AFCON appearance after scoring the winner against Egypt in the semi-final.
Amazingly, Thiaw insisted that the former Liverpool player might not have had to reconsider his choice on the eve of the game.
I believe he made his decision in the midst of controversy, and I, the national team’s coach, do not agree, Thiaw said.
