Rabat witnessed a night of nerve and resilience as hosts Morocco kept their Africa Cup of Nations dream firmly alive, edging past Nigeria 4–2 on penalties after a gripping 0–0 draw in their semi-final on Wednesday.
Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou proved decisive under pressure, saving two spot-kicks before Youssef En-Nesyri stepped up to calmly convert the winning penalty, sending the home crowd into raptures and booking Morocco’s place in the final.
The Atlas Lions, who are chasing their first continental title in nearly five decades, will now face 2021 champions Senegal in Sunday’s final, once again in Rabat. Nigeria, meanwhile, will turn their attention to the third-place play-off against Egypt a day earlier.
The semi-final itself was a tight, tactical contest with few clear chances over 120 minutes. Morocco enjoyed the better spells and carved out the more promising opportunities, but Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali kept his side in the game with a series of impressive saves.
Nigeria entered the match boasting the tournament’s best scoring record, yet they struggled to find rhythm in attack and rarely troubled the Moroccan defence. Their lack of cutting edge was exposed in the shootout when penalties from Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi were comfortably dealt with by Bounou.
Morocco, consistent and disciplined throughout the tournament, once again showed maturity and control, even if they are yet to hit top attacking form. Their reward is a shot at a first AFCON crown since 1976, though a formidable Senegal side stands in their way. The Lions of Teranga sealed their own place in the final earlier on Wednesday with a 1–0 win over Egypt in Tangier, thanks to a decisive strike from Sadio Mane.
“It will be an amazing final between the two best teams on the continent over the past year,” Morocco coach Walid Regragui said after the match. “Nigeria had scored 14 goals before today. Against us, they managed only two shots, with just one on target. That speaks volumes.”
Nigeria coach Eric Chelle admitted his team fell short on the night. “We struggled to play our game. It was very difficult,” he said. “We couldn’t keep possession, and when we had the ball, we couldn’t find solutions.”
The first real opening of the match came midway through the first half when Achraf Hakimi’s corner fell to Ayoub El Kaabi inside the box, but hesitation cost the striker a clear chance. Ismael Saibari later tested Nwabali from distance, while Nayef Aguerd came closest for Morocco when his header from a corner struck the outside of the post.
Nigeria’s talisman Victor Osimhen had a rare sight of goal late on, but a poor first touch let the moment slip. As extra time wore on, penalties appeared inevitable — and when they arrived, Bounou delivered.
With En-Nesyri’s decisive kick, Morocco secured their first AFCON final appearance since 2004, keeping alive the hopes of a nation eager to relive continental glory on home soil.
