African Cup Of Nations (AFCON) hosts Morocco are through to the final, with the chance to secure their first title in 50 years as they advance through their semifinal showdown by beating Nigeria 4-2 on a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw at both regulation and extra times.
Substitute Youssouf En-Nesyri delivered the decisive penalty for the Atlas Lions after goalkeeper Yassine Bounou had made two saves in the shootout.
Samuel Chukwueze, having entered exclusively for penalties, was the scapegoat for Nigeria after producing one of the worst efforts possible.
The first half was a thrilling scoreless affair, as the two teams both produced chances on goal but failed to capitalise on the opportunities.
Morocco dominated possession and found ways to hurt Nigeria, but the Super Eagles were sensational in recovering after a mistake.
Nigeria, meanwhile, looked to play on the counter, but were stifled on most of their forays into the opposition half.
The scoreless draw continued into the second half, with the Moroccans still dominating proceedings, while the two halves of the extra time didn’t produce a single goal as well.
Morocco however scored four of their penalties, while Nigeria managed to get only two in, to set up a third place match against Egypt, and hosts Morocco go ahead to play the final against Senegal.
Hamza Igamane, Eliesse Ben Seghir, captain Achraf Hakimi and Youssef El-Nesyri found the net in the penalty shootout, while only Paul Onuachu and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru netted for Nigeria. Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi saw their kicks saved by Yassine Bounou.
It was an unkind reminder of the defeat by the Democratic Republic of Congo in the FIFA World Cup Playoff Final at the same venue on 16th November last year, in which the Eagles lost out in sudden death after 1-1 draw in regulation and extra time.
Before the shootout, the three-time champions, resplendent in their all-white jersey, refused to be intimidated by a boiling cauldron that held 65,458 spectators, as they dug their feet into the ground against the Lions in over 120 minutes of a highly-tactical game.