By Euronews with Africanews
Published on
Youssef El-Nesyri scored the winning penalty, and Yassine” Bono” Bounou saved two as Morocco advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations final with a 4-2 win on penalties over Nigeria on Wednesday.
Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali saved one but was beaten by Bono in the shootout after the teams drew 0-0 with extra time in front of 65,458 mostly Moroccan supporters in Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
With the first semi-final completed, the country quickly turned its attention to the second: Morocco against Nigeria in Rabat, over in Casablanca, the Royal Air Maroc fan zone filled up early as supporters gathered to follow every moment.
“At the beginning, we knew the game would be very difficult, and we didn’t have many chances to score,” recalls one Senegal fan of their semi-final. “But in the second half, our team took control, and Mané scored a beautiful goal that sent us to the final.”
Senegal triumphs over the Pharaohs
Senegal eventually edged past Egypt, knocking out the Pharaohs to book their place in the showpiece match. Scenes from Tangier showed thousands of Senegal supporters celebrating long into the night.
On the pitch, attention has shifted firmly to the knockout drama. In the second semi-final, hosts Morocco – the Atlas Lions – met Nigeria’s Super Eagles in one of the tournament’s most anticipated clashes.
“The match was crazy because we didn’t know the result until the very end,” says one Morocco supporter. “_The penalties were really intense, but we don’t care how we win. We want to be in the final on Sunday and, insha’Allah, bring home the AFCON troph_y.”
From the fan zone in Casablanca, Moroccan fans erupted as their team won on penalties to reach the AFCON final. In Rabat, the reaction was just as intense, with celebrations breaking out across the capital and beyond.
Next up for the hosts is a showdown with Senegal in the final. Before that, Egypt face Nigeria in the third-place playoff on 17 January.
The final, Morocco versus Senegal, is scheduled for 18 January – a massive clash between two African heavyweights.
All eyes now turn to Rabat, where the title decider promises to be one for the history books.