The Chairman of the Unified Nigerian Supporters Club, Vincent Okumagba, has said that the Super Eagles need strong support from the stands to scale through their semifinal game against Morocco today.
“This semifinal against Morocco is the ‘final before the final,’ and every Nigerian here in Morocco must be ready to offer strong support for the team. Whether you are a member of the supporters club or a Nigerian in the diaspora, the team needs a strong support base inside the stadium in Rabat tomorrow (today),” Okumagba told The Guardian on telephone on arrival in Rabat, yesterday.
The Super Eagles are closing in on a historic milestone at the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 after maintaining a flawless record through five matches. Nigeria remains the only team at the ongoing AFCON 2025 to have won all their five games in open play.
The Eagles have combined attacking flair with defensive solidity, recording the tournament’s best goal difference at +10 and scoring 14 goals, the highest tally ever by a Nigerian side at AFCON.
Their campaign began with a 2–1 victory over Tanzania, followed by a thrilling 3–2 win against Tunisia. They then overcame Uganda 3–1 before producing a statement 4–0 demolition of Mozambique in the round of 16.
In the quarterfinals, Nigeria achieved their second clean sheet of the tournament with a 2–0 triumph over Algeria, a team that had conceded just once in their previous four matches.
With hosts Morocco awaiting in today’s semifinals, the Super Eagles now stand two wins away from becoming the first team in AFCON history to win all seven matches in open play en route to lifting the trophy.
For Okumagba, the Super Eagles have had a remarkable run already, set new standards, and the prospect of perfection adds even greater anticipation to their quest for continental glory.
“In confronting the host, we are aware of the huge task ahead in this semifinal. The Moroccans will have the crowd as their 12th player, but I believe that Nigeria have a way of caging their hosts with our drums and trumpets,” Okumagba stated.
Nigeria is meeting Morocco in a competitive fixture for the first time since January 27, 2004, when Morocco secured a 1–0 win over Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Morocco defeated Nigeria twice at the 1976 AFCON, before going on to win the title. Nigeria turned the tables at the 1980 AFCON, eliminating Morocco in the semi-finals on their way to lifting the trophy.
Nigeria has never defeated a host nation in an AFCON knockout match (excluding third-place playoffs):
At Algiers ’90, the Super Eagles lost 1-0 to Algeria 1 in the final. At Tunisia 2004, it ended 1–1 against the host, Tunisia in the semifinal, but Tunisia won 5–3 on penalties.
At Ghana 2008, the Super Eagles lost 1-2 to the host, Ghana in the quarter-final. At the last AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, the Super Eagles lost 1-2 to the host in the final.
But Okumagba assured Nigerians that the Super Eagles will break the hosts’ advantage jinx in Rabat today. For the first time in history, all the African nations qualified for the AFCON semifinals are managed by African head coaches.While a Malian, Eric Chelle is in charge of Nigeria, Walid Regragui leads Morocco. Homeboy, Pape Thiaw is in charge of Senegal, just as former Egypt team captain, Hossam Hassan is in charge of the Pharaohs of Egypt
