The Atlas Lions of Morocco went through to the final of the 2025 African Cup of Nations after beating the Super Eagles of Nigeria 4-2 on penalties.
After 120 minutes of regulation time without a goal, the game went to a penalty shootout where Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made two saves, to win the semifinal tie for the hosts taking the nation to its first final appearance since 2004.
The game was a tense and important one for both countries to win, here are five things we learnt from the Nigeria vs Morocco match:
AFCON final and third place: Morocco will face Senegal in the final on Sunday, 18 January, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, while Egypt and Nigeria will face off in the third-place match on Saturday, 17 January, at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca.
Morocco’s home advantage: Morocco are still the team to beat as the hosts continue to take advantage of playing in front of their own fans, against the Eagles they were backed by a passionate crowd at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
Nigeria and penalties: The Super Eagles continues to be plagued by penalty shootout losses, the West African nation lost to Congo in the World Cup qualifiers on penalties in November 2025, and have now lost another important game on penalties.
Nigeria’s defence: Nigeria’s defence showed itself to be a solid unit as they prevented Morocco who have scored in every game in this competition from scoring. Moroccan star, Brahim Diaz who has scored in every game so far was also shut out.
Officiating concerns: When it was announced that Ghanaian referee Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea would officiate the semifinal clash, Nigerians raised concerns about his ability to fairly handle the game. He eventually received a lot of backlash as many Nigerians felt his officiating was poor, highlighting a few bad calls.
The Super Eagles of came into this competition, hoping they would win it to make up for missing out on the World Cup but those dreams were shattered last night as this generation of players continue to seek their first AFCON title.
