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Half a year ago, Nicolas Jackson and Mamadou Sarr were standing together on an improvised platform in New Jersey, basking in the glory of becoming Club World Cup champions. Yesterday evening, the pair found themselves celebrating once more, this time lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy after Senegal edged past tournament hosts Morocco with a dramatic 1-0 victory that required extra time to decide.
Both Chelsea players, currently on loan elsewhere, were included in the starting lineup for the final showdown. Sarr went the full distance, completing every minute of the grueling 120-minute encounter, while Jackson played through the entire 90 minutes of normal time before being substituted just moments before the match spiraled into absolute pandemonium.
The controversy erupted immediately after what appeared to be a legitimate winning goal for Senegal from a corner kick was disallowed, with the referee ruling that Abdoulaye Seck had committed a foul on Achraf Hakimi during the buildup—a decision that wasn’t subjected to VAR scrutiny. Then, in the dying seconds of stoppage time, following another corner but this time at the opposite end, Morocco were handed a penalty after an extensive VAR review. The officials determined that El Hadji Malick Diouf had pulled Brahim Díaz down to the ground—the type of physical contact that occurs frequently on set pieces but is inconsistently penalized. Díaz clearly felt the contact and went down in somewhat theatrical fashion. These decisions can go either way depending on the referee’s interpretation, and arguments could be made for both outcomes. The earlier incident involving Hakimi fell into a similar category. The persistent wrestling, pulling, and jostling that takes place during corners has become increasingly difficult to officiate consistently in modern football.
Following the penalty decision, emotions reached boiling point both in the stands and on the pitch, with tensions escalating to such a degree that the Senegalese players were momentarily threatening to abandon the match entirely. Fortunately, calmer minds eventually took control, with captain Sadio Mané stepping up to restore order and convince his teammates to continue. By the time Díaz finally stepped up to take the spot-kick, the clock had already moved past the 113-minute mark. After such an extended interruption, he surprisingly opted for an audacious Panenka attempt, which backfired spectacularly when Édouard Mendy, reading the situation perfectly, caught the weakly struck ball with almost contemptuous ease—a moment reminiscent of Sergio Agüero’s infamous penalty miss.
With the scores still level, the match progressed into the additional 30-minute period, where Senegal wasted little time in finally breaking the deadlock. Villarreal’s Pape Gueye produced a magnificent strike to put his nation ahead, giving them the advantage they had been seeking throughout this tense encounter. From that point forward, Senegal managed the game expertly, protecting their slender lead until the final whistle. Their tournament campaign was remarkably solid defensively, conceding just two goals across all seven matches they played, while their knockout stage performances were particularly impressive—winning the quarter-final, semi-final, and final by identical 1-0 margins.
Jackson, who earned starting spots in five matches throughout the competition, contributed two goals to Senegal’s campaign, both of which came in their tournament opener, along with providing one assist. Sarr’s journey was particularly noteworthy, as he only broke into the starting eleven during the semi-final stage after former Chelsea center-back Kalidou Koulibaly suffered an injury setback. Despite the unexpected nature of his promotion, the young defender seized his opportunity and delivered compelling performances on one of the grandest stages his career has witnessed thus far. The 20-year-old has established himself as an indispensable player for RC Strasbourg throughout this season, building on the momentum he generated during the previous campaign. Given their impressive showings, there’s certainly a possibility that both loan players could find themselves back at Stamford Bridge wearing Chelsea blue in the not-too-distant future.
Congratulations are in order for Nicolas and Mamadou, as well as Édouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly, for their thrilling triumph in what was a roller-coaster final! (It’s worth noting that Hakim Ziyech was unable to represent Morocco in the tournament due to an injury that ruled him out of contention.)
