NOS Football•
Morocco has reached the final of the African Cup of Nations for the first time since 2004. The home country won in the capital Rabat after 0-0 on penalties against Nigeria, a losing finalist in the previous edition two years ago.
In the penalty shootout, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou took the leading role by saving two Nigerian penalties, allowing Morocco to win the series 4-2.
Senegal, which was too strong for Egypt earlier in the evening (1-0), is the opponent in the final on Sunday evening.
At the final in Rabat on Sunday evening, Morocco will go for nothing less than its first title since 1976, when it won its only main prize to date under the leadership of great and all-time top scorer Ahmed Faras, who died last year.
With new heroes such as Brahim Díaz (Real Madrid), Achraf Hakimi (PSG), Ismael Saibari (PSV) and – thanks to his striking bicycle kicks – tournament revelation Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiakos), Morocco wants to shine in front of its own audience. The team did not manage to meet the high expectations every match, all in the same brand new stadium.
That turned out to be no easy feat against Nigeria either. With the pressure on, the home country coached by Walid Regragui played football more easily than the opponent, but often suffered from Nigeria’s strong defense.
Kansa Saibari
In addition to a free kick from Hakimi (just past the intersection), Saibari had one of the biggest chances of the first half. After a one-two and a clever cut, the PSV player shot against the fists of the Nigerian goalkeeper.
Between the Moroccan attacks, only Ademola Lookman got a chance on behalf of Nigeria
The play of Nigeria, the highest scoring team so far in this tournament, was too stiff and sloppy to make a difference. The fickle occasional captain Victor Osimhen was only reached sparingly during the second half.
Bassey’s hand
The tension increased by the minute, accompanied by the loud chanting and whistling of the Moroccan fans. They jumped up en masse in the final phase and shouted for a penalty when Hakimi’s shot was saved by Nigerian Calvin Bassey.
However, the excellent defender (ex-Ajax, now Fulham) kept his arm close to his body, so the arbitration did not consider it a punishable handball.
Without goals in regular time, extra time followed. Morocco still had chances, but fatigue also visibly affected their legs. The only shots on target came from outside the box and were saved by Stanley Nwabali.
And so penalties were necessary in Rabat.
With the confidence built up in the match, the Nigerian goalkeeper saved the second Moroccan penalty in the series. But his opponent Bounou did even better.
The 34-year-old goalkeeper was also the hero in a penalty shootout against Spain at the 2022 World Cup and did so again in Rabat. He saved two Nigerian penalties, after which Youssef En-Nesyri shot the Atlas Lions to the final.
