{"id":8644,"date":"2026-01-15T00:39:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T00:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=8644"},"modified":"2026-01-15T00:39:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T00:39:47","slug":"morocco-beat-nigeria-on-penalties-to-reach-afcon-final-africa-cup-of-nations-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=8644","title":{"rendered":"Morocco beat Nigeria on penalties to reach AFCON final | Africa Cup of Nations News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Morocco overcome Nigeria on penalties, after the match finished 0-0 after extra time, to reach AFCON final.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 15 Jan 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">15 Jan 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Yassine Bounou saved \u200dtwo penalties, and Youssef En-Nesyri netted the decisive spot kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shootout victory over Nigeria following their 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semifinal in Rabat.<\/p>\n<p>Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 \u2060years, will face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday\u2019s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in \u200bthe third-place playoff a day before.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>The 120 minutes before the shootout on Wednesday had few \u200dclear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created the greater opportunities, though they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria had the best scoring record in the competition coming into the semifinal, \u200dbut offered very \u2060little going forward in a limp display.<\/p>\n<p>And when Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi saw their tame penalties saved in the shootout, they were left to reflect on a performance that showed little ambition.<\/p>\n<p>Morocco were workmanlike and efficient as they have been all through the competition, even if they are still to find their best form.<\/p>\n<p>They are on the brink of a first continental crown since 1976, but their biggest challenge awaits in an impressive \u200bSenegal side who beat Egypt 1-0 thanks to Sadio Mane\u2019s winner in \u200cthe first semifinal in Tangier earlier on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>The first half hour in Rabat was devoid of goalmouth chances until Achraf Hakimi\u2019s corner was headed into the path of Ayoub El Kaabi five yards from goal.<\/p>\n<p>But he was caught in two \u200cminds whether to turn and shoot or try an overhead kick, and in the end did neither as the chance was lost.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4240706\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4240706\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4240706\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026-01-14T225434Z_85705661_UP1EM1E1RMWZ9_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-NATIONS-NGA-MAR-1768432072.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C480&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Morocco's Youssef En-Nesyri reacts after scoring his penalty to win the penalty shootout\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4240706\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Morocco\u2019s Youssef En-Nesyri reacts after scoring his penalty to win the penalty shootout [Siphiwe Sibeko\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"morocco-dominate-chances-as-nigeria-fail-to-fire\">Morocco dominate chances as Nigeria fail to fire<\/h2>\n<p>Morocco\u2019s Ismael \u200cSaibari showed excellent skill to work a shooting chance, but Nwabali \u2060was equal to his effort.<\/p>\n<p>He was by far the busier keeper in the game, but Morocco were mostly reduced to long-range efforts that proved comfortable enough to save.<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria had few opportunities, and when talisman Victor Osimhen did receive a pass in \u200cthe box, his touch was poor, and the rare chance was lost.<\/p>\n<p>Nayef Aguerd\u2019s header from a corner hit the outside of the post as the hosts went close, but penalties seemed inevitable well \u200dbefore the 120 minutes were up.<\/p>\n<p>And following Bounou\u2019s saves, En-Nesyri struck the decisive spot-kick to send his side into their first final since a 2004 loss to Tunisia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Morocco overcome Nigeria on penalties, after the match finished 0-0 after extra time, to reach AFCON final. Published On 15 Jan 202615 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Yassine Bounou saved \u200dtwo penalties, and Youssef En-Nesyri netted the decisive spot kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shootout victory over [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8644\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}