A couple of Afcon questions before today’s final

As Jonathan Wilson has already pointed out, the standard of the pitches in Morocco this time around has reduced the number of shocks. But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been plenty of storylines. A lot of the continent’s top names have shone, including Morocco’s Brahim Díaz, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, Côte d’Ivoire’s Amad Diallo and Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen.

The knockout stages have largely been devoid of drama but Yassine Bounou’s penalty shootout performance for Morocco and Sadio Mané’s heroics for Senegal at least gave us some moments to remember. After the tension of 120 minutes of football in Rabat, Morocco’s relief at reaching a final as hosts told you they won’t care how they win this tournament, even if their manager Walid Regragui has come under fire for his risk-averse style of play.

Expect another tight affair after one goal across 210 minutes of semi-final action on Wednesday. The pressure will be on hosts Morocco again, seeing as they are chasing a first Afcon title in 50 years. They looked like they’d run out of puff against Nigeria the other night, so what impact will extra time have on them today? Brahim Díaz remains their main source of inspiration in attacking areas but Achraf Hakimi is still their central figurehead.

Many of the Senegal squad have been here before, having won the title in 2022 on penalties against Egypt. They might take a leaf out of Nigeria’s book and play to frustrate, building the nerves among the home crowd in Rabat, but holding on for penalties might not be the best idea considering Bounou’s tendency to dominate these moments.