Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou emerged as the hero on Wednesday night as hosts Morocco edged Nigeria 4–2 on penalties to book a place in the Africa Cup of Nations final after a tense semi-final ended goalless following extra time.
Bounou produced decisive saves from Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi in the shoot-out, paving the way for Youssef En-Nesyri to calmly slot home the winning penalty and trigger wild celebrations at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
There was both joy and relief for Hamza Igamane, who looked distraught moments earlier after his spot-kick was kept out by Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Igamane was the only Moroccan player to miss in the shoot-out, but captain Achraf Hakimi and the rest of the Moroccan takers held their nerve to seal victory.
Morocco will now face Senegal in Sunday’s final after the Lions of Teranga defeated Egypt 1–0 in the other semi-final, courtesy of a decisive goal from Sadio Mané.
The final will pit Africa’s two highest-ranked teams against each other in what promises to be a fitting climax to the tournament.
Under immense pressure to deliver the country’s first AFCON title in 50 years, Walid Regragui’s Morocco will draw confidence from playing on home soil, backed by a raucous crowd in Rabat.
For Nigeria, however, the defeat was a heartbreaking end to their campaign, coming two years after they lost the final to hosts Ivory Coast, as their hopes once again faded at the penultimate hurdle.
