Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou emerged as the hero with two saves in the shootout as hosts Morocco beat Nigeria 4-2 on penalties to set up an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final against Senegal after a thrilling last four match ended 0-0 at the end of extra time on Wednesday.
Bounou brilliantly denied Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi, allowing Youssef En-Nesyri to convert the winning kick and spark wild celebration among the 65,458 spectators at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
There was joy but also relief for Hamza Igamane, who looked distraught after his kick – Morocco’s second in the shootout – was saved by Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali – the only Moroccan player to fail to score in the shootout.
Morocco will now play against Senegal on Sunday, a match between the two best African teams in the FIFA world rankings.
“It was one of the most difficult matches we have had against a very solid and talented team,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui, who played in the last Atlas Lions team to reach the final when they lost to Tunisia in 2004.
“I am very happy for the players and for the Moroccan people who really deserve this.
“It’s a great gift for them to be in the final, but we will have to recover quickly because we put a lot of energy into this match.”
Morocco are under immense pressure to win their country’s first AFCON title in half a century, but will be confident of coming out on top against Senegal with his support.
But with the dream still alive, it was a painful way to end Nigeria’s hopes. Two years after losing the final to hosts in Ivory Coast, it had hoped to win a fourth Cup of Nations crown, equaling rival Ghana’s tally.
Led by two recent winners of the African Player of the Year award, Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, Nigeria were arguably the best team in the tournament until the semi-finals and the top scorers with fourteen goals.
But the side created next to nothing during the 120 minutes here and will have to settle for third place in Saturday’s play-off against Egypt in Casablanca before watching the World Cup from afar after failing to qualify.
Hard to accept for Super Eagles
“The players fought for every ball and it is difficult to lose on penalties, but this is football and we have to accept that,” said Nigerian coach Eric Chelle.
«It’s difficult to play here in Morocco because you have to play against the team and against the crowd.»
Doubts about the Moroccan team’s ability to handle the immense pressure of playing at home disappeared after the victory over Cameroon in the quarter-finals.
The 2022 World Cup semi-finalist was occasionally whistled by his own fans during the group stage here, but this time those supporters did their part by responding with deafening cheers to every Nigerian possession.
A frantic opening to the match saw Moroccan winger Brahim Diaz – arguably the tournament’s best player – send a shot wide before Alex Iwobi crossed Lookman at the other end for a shot that was well saved.
Morocco had chances, including a free kick from Hakimi and a shot from Ismael Saibari, which was well saved by Nwabali.
The second half, however, was more reserved and the clock ran back to normal time, with the specter of penalties growing as the extra half hour progressed.
It looked like Nigeria settled for the shootout and even eliminated Osimhen in the hope of repeating their 2024 semi-final victory on penalties against South Africa.
However, Morocco had also famously won on penalties against Spain at the last World Cup, repeating the trick this time to reach the final of their Cup of Nations.
Published on January 15, 2026
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