Morocco is reaching for the trophy at the Africa Cup: 50 years after its only triumph so far, the host is once again attempting a major coup. The 2022 World Cup semi-finalist is in the final after a 4-2 penalty shootout win against Nigeria. No goals had been scored before the end of extra time. Youssef En-Nesyri scored the decisive penalty.
The opponent in the final on Sunday (8 p.m./Sportdigital) is Senegal, who tore Mohamed Salah and Egypt out of their dreams with a 1-0 (0-0) score. Sadio Mané, a former FC Bayern professional, scored the decisive goal for Senegal (78′).
Morocco, who have only ever won the title in 1976, and three-time Africa Cup of Nations winners Nigeria played a fast-paced game full of emotions from the start, in which neither team gave up their defensive stability in favor of taking risks on the offensive. Extra time was the logical consequence. Senegal’s “Lions of Teranga”, with Munich striker Nicolas Jackson in the starting line-up, earned their place in the final with a dominant performance and thus have the chance for their second triumph after 2022.
Salah, on the other hand, was very disappointed; record winners Egypt are no longer in the race for their eighth triumph. Salah, who recently caused a stir at Liverpool FC, had hoped so much for his coronation. Because the title is still missing from his collection. Both in 2017 and 2022 – including against Senegal – Salah lost the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt.
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