“He missed!”
The words echoed around the lobby of the Manhattan Surrogate’s Court, off the walls, floors, and recently restored skylight ceiling of the yellow marble atrium. The normal day-to-day business at this civic landmark is largely concerned with history; the courts upstairs handle estate proceedings, and the basement houses part of the city’s municipal archives. But even with all those records of things that have taken place in New York City or that have been done by its denizens, none of them will tell of an event like Sunday’s: A watch party for the soccer championship of Africa, hosted by the city’s mayor who hails from that continent, held within a space that screams “civic business” enough to have been used in several Law & Order episodes.
“He missed!” Ibrahima Barry bellowed once again, letting out an exalted yell just afterward. The Senegal fans next to him looked on, confused. On the screens above, Morocco’s Brahim Díaz had only just arrived at the penalty spot, and was preparing to take a controversially awarded penalty to put Morocco up 1-0 after an astonishing 15-minute delay in which some Senegal players walked off the field in protest. It was sure to be the last kick of normal time, and potentially of this edition of the Africa Cup of Nations itself. The Moroccan fans were geared up to celebrate. The Senegal fans were dreading the inevitable.
Except Barry. Clutching his phone, dressed in a black sweatshirt and pants, he leapt from his viewing spot on a platform meant for TV cameras and ran to the nearest wall, sending a stanchion post flying in the process. Yelling all the while, arms flailing, he turned and ran back, eyes wide with disbelief. A group of Senegal fans turned to him, asking him what happened, as if he hadn’t been repeatedly yelling exactly what happened. Barry showed them the latest update on the livescore app on his phone, which he said he had enough time to download during the Senegalese protests. It said that Díaz, the Real Madrid star who had only in 2024 switched his Fifa affiliation from Spain to Morocco, had missed the penalty.
Not technically true (it was saved, not missed), but close enough.
“I was afraid about the penalty, and [the app] is more on time than the TV,” Barry said. “Everybody was waiting saying oh this guy is great. But it was a great moment. I’m not crazy!”
The pandemonium carried into extra time, as Pape Gueye’s rocket from outside the box put Senegal up 1-0. A sabar drumline materialized from the corner as if from thin air, lending a rhythm to the joy. The final may have been contentious, but in the halls of civic business the mood remained largely upbeat, bar a few tearful calls to relatives from Morocco fans.
