Hosts Morocco are through to the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), defeating Nigeria on penalties in their semifinal clash at Rabat on Wednesday, Bold Sports reports.
After 120 goalless minutes, the contest was decided on penalties, where Bounou emerged as the hero by saving two spot-kicks to knock Nigeria out and keep Regragui’s side on course for the title.
Morocco started the game strong and got an early chance to score as Semi Ajayi made a horrible mistake, passing straight to Saibari who set himself up to shoot, before the defender recovered brilliantly to block the midfielder’s effort. Eight minutes into the game, the hosts had another opportunity as Diaz curler from the edge of the box went just wide.
The Super Eagles started growing into the game as time went on, getting their first chance in the 13th minute as Lookman’s long-range shot was saved by Bounou. Chelle’s side continued to try and gain control, but Morocco were resilient in their press, preventing Nigeria from playing their game.
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The hosts produced two decent opportunities just before the half-hour, with El Kaabi failing to connect with a header from close range, while Diaz header few seconds later went wide. In the 31st minute, Osimhen’s relentless pressing caused chaos in Morocco’s box, but Nigeria were unable to take advantage.
The Super Eagles were hit by a setback in the 33rd minute as Calvin Bassey was booked for a foul, ruling him out of the next match. Nwabali was called into action in the 40th minute and he made a smart stop, saving Saibari’s effort from inside the box to keep the scores level at half time.
Eric Chelle’s side made a positive start to the second half but almost went behind six minutes in as Saibari won the ball in midfield before sending a through pass to Ezzalzouli. The winger tried to curl the ball into the net, but Nwabali made another brilliant save.
The Super Eagles began to gain more momentum after the hour mark, pushing to get the opener against a determined Moroccan side. Iwobi engineered some space for himself as he tried to create something, but the hosts’ defense remained composed, denying Nigeria from finding the net.
On the other end, Calvin Bassey had to be alert, using his strength to stop El Kaabi from clearly getting through on goal on multiple occasions. Morocco had a shout for penalty in the 80th minute, but after a VAR check, the decision was not given in favour of the hosts.
With both sides unable to get a goal, the game went into extra time. The hosts kept pushing without reward, while Nigeria also posed a threat at the other end, though neither side managed to find the breakthrough. After 120 minutes without being separated, the match went into penalties.
Bounou proved to be the saviour for the hosts, saving two penalties to send his side into the final where they’ll face Senegal. The Super Eagles will face Egypt in the third place match.
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