Koulibaly helped Senegal beat Tunisia 1-0 in the Final, but the hero was rather SPAL goalkeeper Alfred Gomis, who saved Ferjani Sassi’s penalty.
Dylan Bronn’s own goal in the 100th minute nonetheless fired the Lions into their first AFCON Final since 2002.
However, the Napoli defender will miss the showpiece event through a yellow-card suspension.
Algeria, meanwhile, made similar hard work of their semi-final, needing a last-gasp Riyad Mahrez free kick to seal a 2-1 victory over Nigeria.
Algeria, who again started Milan-bound Ismael Bennacer but benched Ounas, had taken the lead through an own goal from Udinese defender William Troost-Ekong.
The Greens’ run to the Final marks their best performance in the history of the competition.
Gomis will also be facing a club colleague of his own in SPAL wingback and Algeria international Mohamed Fares.