The dramatic AFCON final between Morocco and Senegal ended with fresh heartbreak for the Atlas Lions as young forward Hamza Igamane suffered a serious knee injury that will sideline him for months.
Morocco finished extra time with ten men after coach Walid Regragui had already used all six substitutions when Hamza Igamane was forced off.
The striker had only been on the pitch a short time when he tried to avoid a collision with Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and twisted his knee awkwardly. He could not continue and had to leave the field, leaving Morocco a man down in the decisive stages of the match.
Subsequent medical tests revealed a cruciate ligament tear, with French reports indicating an expected absence of around six months. This cruelly ends Hamza Igamane’s season with French club Lille and, more painfully, rules him out of the upcoming World Cup, where he had hoped to establish himself as one of Morocco’s new attacking faces.
Speaking after the game, Regragui said: “Unfortunately, Igamane suffered a torn ACL and may be out for six months… We wish him a speedy recovery.”
The injury is a major blow both for the player and for a Moroccan team that has been building depth and momentum over the last two years, and it adds another emotional layer to the disappointment of losing the continental title at home.
