Morocco yesterday defeated Nigeria to qualify for the final of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, where they will meet Senegal in the grand finale on Sunday.
Nigeria defied all odds, including a hostile crowd at the Stade Prince MoulayAbdallah, Rabat, to hold the hosts to a goalless regular and added time, before succumbing to the hosts through a penalty shootout.
The Moroccans scored three of their kicks, while Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi missed Nigeria’s second and fourth kicks to hand the final ticket to the Moroccans.
The Nigerians, who had a 100 per cent record going into yesterday’s second semifinal of the championship, knew that a game against the hosts would be no stroll in the park and therefore prepared for a harrowing evening.
The game began on a blistering note, with the Moroccans taking the fight to Nigeria. But the Calvin Bassey-led Nigerian defence stood their ground, rebuffing everything thrown at them.
The first half of the highly-entertaining game ended goalless.
The second half saw a more improved Super Eagles taking the game to their hosts, but they lacked the cutting edge to get the elusive goal.
The end to end stuff in Rabat also ended with neither team getting the goal needed to separate the sides. It thus went to 30 minutes of additional time.
With no side able to score in either half of the extra time, the game went to penalties, where the Atlas Lions proved to be the better marksmen.
Earlier in the first semifinal, Senegal defeated Egypt by a lone goal to end Mohamed Salah’s dream of winning his first Africa Cup of Nations title.
SadioMané, a two-time African Footballer of the Year, broke the deadlock in the 78th minute when he left fly from just outside the penalty area inside the bottom left corner after LamineCamara´s initial effort was blocked.
It sent celebrations of joy and relief among the Teranga Lions´ fans in the Grand Stade de Tanger, where Senegal had taken the initiative but struggled for clear chances against the Pharaohs´ stubborn defense.
The win ensured that there wouldn’t be an all-West Africa final as earlier predicted by pundits.
