RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Though he didn’t score a goal, Sadio Mané has emerged as the hero for Senegal’s unlikely triumph over host Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday.
“We knew that today it was important to win this trophy. We all had it in our hearts to win it thanks to Sadio, and we saw what he did today, it’s just incredible,” Lamine Camara said.
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Morocco's Achraf Hakimi, left, and Senegal's Sadio Mane battle for the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Youssef Loulidi)
Senegal's Sadio Mane, front, and Morocco's Nayef Aguerd challenge for the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Senegal's Sadio Mane holds tropy for the best player of the torunament after the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Senegal's Sadio Mane holds the trophy aloft after winning the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match agaisnt Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
The game was on the verge of being called off with furious Senegalese supporters trying to storm the field after a controversial penalty call in favor of the home team deep in stoppage time, just minutes after Senegal had what seemed a perfectly good goal ruled out at the other end.
Stewards were fighting with supporters on the field and some of the Senegal players reacted angrily to comments from the Moroccan substitutes, leading to a melee between rival players on the sideline.
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw then led his players off, suggesting the game might be called off before the penalty could be taken. Fighting was continuing at the other end where a long line of police joined the stewards in holding the Senegal fans back.
Veteran French coach Claude Le Roy, who spoke with Mané on the sideline, reportedly told the two-time African Footballer of the Year it was better for the team to resume the game.
Mané evidently agreed as he got his teammates to return for Morocco’s penalty so the game could resume after a 14-minute delay.
"We were in the locker room," Camara said. “He was the only one who came in shouting, shouting at us to get out there and finish the match. And well, in the end, he was right. We went out, we listened to him because if Sadio talks, everyone listens. We listened to him and in the end it went well for us.”
Édouard Mendy, the Senegal goalkeeper, easily saved Brahim Díaz’s weak attempt of a penalty with what was the last kick of the game.
It then went to extra time, where Pape Gueye scored the winner in the fourth minute by letting fly inside the top right corner.
“What we felt was a bit of injustice,” Gueye said. “Before, we thought we should have had a goal and the referee didn’t go to VAR. Sadio told us to come back on and we remobilized. Édouard then made the save, we stayed focused, got the goal and won the game.”
Senegal had gone closer to scoring in the game with Mané a constant menace for the Moroccan defense, setting up chances for teammates. It took three defenders to stop Mané early on, and more to stop his progress before the half time break.
It was up to Mané to lead the side again in the absence of suspended captain Kalidou Koulibaly, who was missing his second final after the defeat to Algeria in the 2019 decider.
The 33-year-old Mané had said after scoring the winner in the semifinal against Egypt that this would be his last Africa Cup tournament. He has played six and now won two. Thiaw has already appealed for him to reverse his decision.
Few fans remained in the 69,500-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium to see Mané lift the trophy, but the small band of Senegal supporters could celebrate, while it also kicked off a jubilant party in Dakar.
AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
Morocco's Achraf Hakimi, left, and Senegal's Sadio Mane battle for the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Youssef Loulidi)
Senegal's Sadio Mane, front, and Morocco's Nayef Aguerd challenge for the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Senegal's Sadio Mane holds tropy for the best player of the torunament after the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Senegal's Sadio Mane holds the trophy aloft after winning the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match agaisnt Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
BOSTON (AP) — A woman who worked as a live-in personal chef for former New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs declined to answer questions Tuesday about financial demands made on her behalf, as defense attorneys pressed her over claims she was owed money and inconsistencies in what she said she was paid.
Defense attorneys pressed Jamila “Mila” Adams about money she said she was owed after working as a live-in chef. She testified she was paid about $2,000 a week and believed she had not been fully compensated after being sent home. They pointed to a $19,000 demand made on her behalf and suggested the amount grew over time, culminating in a separate claim that her attorney sought $5.5 million.
Diggs has pleaded not guilty to a felony strangulation charge and a misdemeanor assault and battery charge stemming from a December incident at his home.
When asked about the $5.5 million claim, Adams said, “I can’t speak on that,” and at other points told jurors, “I don’t understand the question” and “I don’t know how to answer the question.”
Defense attorneys also questioned Adams about a public statement she issued Feb. 13 in which she said, “I have never sought money to settle this matter,” and about hiring a lawyer by mid-April. Adams said she retained an attorney for a workers’ compensation claim, saying she believed she had been injured on the job.
They challenged her accounting of what she was owed, presenting records of payments and suggesting she had sought compensation for weeks she did not work. Adams said she had been confused about the amount and “sent the incorrect amount,” maintaining she believed she was owed money.
Prosecutors pushed back on the defense’s financial-motive argument, eliciting testimony that Adams viewed the dispute as a wage issue, not a settlement. She said her statement that she had “never sought money to settle this matter” referred to the criminal case and that she later retained an attorney for a workers’ compensation claim after she believed she was injured on the job.
At times during her second day on the stand, Adams was instructed by the judge to answer questions directly and not include additional details beyond what was asked. Portions of her responses were struck from the record as nonresponsive, with jurors told to disregard them.
“This is not an opportunity for you to interject your own narrative,” Judge Jeanmarie Carroll, told her at one point, warning that continued nonresponsive answers could result in her testimony being stricken.
The testimony followed sharply conflicting accounts presented to jurors a day earlier.
Adams testified Monday that Diggs “smacked me with an open hand” before wrapping his arm around her neck and choking her, leaving her struggling to breathe. She described what she called a “complicated” relationship, saying it had previously been sexual but was not at the time of the alleged assault. She said she lived in his home, preparing meals and snacks, and had known him for more than four years.
Defense attorneys told jurors the alleged attack never happened, pointing to a lack of medical records, photos or video documenting injuries and saying no one else in the home reported seeing or hearing anything unusual. They also suggested Adams had a financial motive.
Prosecutors say the case centers on what happened on Dec. 2, when they allege Diggs entered Adams’ bedroom, slapped her and put her in a headlock that made it difficult to breathe.
A jury was seated Monday in Norfolk County District Court in Dedham.
Former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs appears in court during his trial at Norfolk County District Court, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)
Witness Jamila Adams testifies during the trial of former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs at Norfolk County District Court, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)
Witness Jamila Adams, right, walks past former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs during Diggs' trial at Norfolk County District Court, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)
Former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs listens to his defense attorney cross examine witness Jamila Adams during his trial at Norfolk County District Court, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)
Witness Jamila Adams testifies during the trial of former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs at Norfolk County District Court, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)
Judge Jeanmarie Carroll questions potential jurors as the assault trial of Stefon Diggs begins in Dedham, Mass., Monday May 4, 2026. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs leaves Norfolk County District Court, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Stefon Diggs' former personal chef, Jamila Adams, is questioned by Assistant District Attorney Drew Virtue in Dedham District Court in Dedham, Mass., Monday May 4, 2026. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Stefon Diggs' former personal chef Jamila Adams is sworn in before giving testimony in Dedham District Court in Dedham, Mass., Monday May 4, 2026. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs returns to Norfolk County District Court, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
