After grueling 120 minutes of play that tested the depth, strength and staying power of both teams, the Atlas Lions of Morocco prevailed against the high-flying Super Eagles of Nigeria, Wednesday night, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, zooming into the final of the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament 4-2 on penalties.
It was a match that could have gone either way as the two teams matched themselves perfectly in every department of the game, ending the match 0-0 after 120 minutes, making the penalty shoot-out inevitable.
With the victory, hosts Morocco will now slug it out with Senegal on Sunday after the latter overcame Egypt 1-0 earlier on Wednesday.
Sadio Mane, the undisputed hero of the match, scored a back-breaking late goal for Senegal to send the Pharaohs out of the cup’s contention.
Egypt’s power house, Mohamed Salah, was unable to make an impact in a night so much was expected from him.
With the result, the Super Eagles and Egypt will now fight for bronze in the third-place match that would precede the final.
Morocco’s goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, stood between the Super Eagles and the Atlas Lions as he stopped two spot-kicks.
Yassine Bounou had, in the 13th minute of the cracker, comfortably saved Ademola Lookman’s long-range strike that would have put Nigeria into an early lead.
The Eric Chelle’s side attempted to impose themselves but the Moroccans disrupted Nigeria’s rhythm by mounting relentless pressure.
Nigeria’s King of goals, Victor Osimhen, caused serious problems for Morocco in the 31st minute forcing the Atlas Lions into errors but the Nigerians could not seize the moment.
Two minutes later, Super Eagles’ dependable defender, Calvin Bassey, was booked in the 33rd minute, ruling him out of the third-place match against Egypt. Baasey was outstanding throughout the match, frustrating the Moroccans with intelligent and well-calculated tackles.
Just before the interval, Stanley Nwabali put up one of his best performances in recent times, making serious saves. He frustrated Ismael Saibari’s effort from inside the area, ensuring the sides went into the break with a barren draw.
With neither side able to find the net within regulation and extra time, the semi-final cracker was settled by penalties. And Bounou’s heroics proved decisive, sealing his side into the final against the Teranga Lions of Senegal.
