It will be a battle of “Lions” as Africa’s top-ranked teams, the Atlas Lions of Morocco and Senegal’s Lions of Teranga, face off in the AFCON final after the hosts beat Nigeria 4-2 on penalties.
In a dramatic Africa Cup of Nations 2025 semi-final at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat, Morocco edged Nigeria 4-2 on penalties after a tense 0-0 stalemate through extra time. The hosts’ victory booked them a place in the AFCON final against Senegal.
The match was a cagey tactical battle, with both sides creating few clear scoring chances. Nigeria’s Super Eagles, unbeaten in the tournament, were thwarted by a disciplined Moroccan defence and inspired goalkeeping from Yassine Bounou. Morocco, buoyed by a passionate crowd, pressed intermittently but could not break through a resilient Nigerian backline.
With the score locked after 120 minutes, the fate of the semi-final came down to penalties. Morocco opened the shootout with Neil El Aynaoui converting calmly to give the hosts an early lead. Nigeria responded as Paul Onuachu struck his spot-kick into the bottom left corner, keeping parity.
The momentum shifted as Morocco’s Hamza Igamane saw his penalty saved by Nigeria keeper Stanley Nwabali, and Nigeria’s Samuel Chukwueze also had his attempt denied by Bounou, keeping both teams level after two rounds.
Morocco regained the edge when Eliesse Ben Seghir confidently converted, followed by Fisayo Dele-Bashiru slotting home for Nigeria, bringing the shootout to 2-2.
In the crucial final kicks, Achraf Hakimi struck to make it 3-2 for Morocco before Nigeria’s Bruno Onyemaechi saw his attempt miss, sealing the victory for the hosts and sending the home crowd into raptures.
The dramatic win ends Nigeria’s run in the tournament and sends Morocco through to their first AFCON final in decades, where they will face a strong Senegal side.
The win sets up a mouth-watering final against Senegal, who earlier edged Egypt in the other semi-final. Morocco now chase their first Africa Cup of Nations crown since 1976, while Nigeria, last crowned champions in 2013, saw their gallant run halted just shy of the title decider.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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