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Who: Nigeria vs Morocco
What: CAF Africa Cup of Nations
Where: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium successful Rabat, Morocco
When: Wednesday astatine 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll person each the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT successful beforehand of our substance commentary stream.
Nigeria are looking much and much similar the squad to bushed astatine the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), arsenic the Super Eagles soared into the semifinals arsenic the lone broadside to support a cleanable winning grounds astatine the tournament.
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Standing betwixt them and a spot successful the last are hosts Morocco, Africa’s top-ranked federation and 2022 World Cup semifinalists, buoyed by location enactment and expectation.
For Nigeria, this AFCON run carries the value of redemption aft the heartbreak of missing retired connected this year’s World Cup. For Morocco, the unit is adjacent heavier – to triumph the trophy successful beforehand of their ain fans, 50 years aft their past continental triumph.
Questions had lingered implicit whether the Atlas Lions could enarthrosis that burden, but they stay firmly connected course. This marks Morocco’s archetypal AFCON semifinal quality since 2004, and content is increasing that past could yet beryllium rewritten.
Here’s everything you request to cognize astir Nigeria vs Morocco:
How did Nigeria scope the AFCON semifinals?
Nigeria finished connected apical of Group C, winning each 3 games with a cleanable grounds successful the opening round.
They thrashed minnows Mozambique 4-0 successful the quarterfinals earlier storming past Algeria 2-0 to scope the semifinals.
The Super Eagles, the lone semifinalists to person won each 5 matches, person reached the semifinals 17 times successful the past 20 tournaments they person qualified for. They are besides this edition’s apical scorers wide with 14 goals successful 5 matches.
How did Morocco scope the semifinals?
Morocco topped Group A with an unbeaten record, bagging 2 wins and a gully for 7 points.
They began their knockout run with a 1-0 triumph implicit Tanzania successful the circular of 16 earlier beating five-time champions Cameroon 2-0 successful the quarterfinals.
The Atlas Lions person precocious to the AFCON semifinals for the archetypal clip since 2004, erstwhile they mislaid the last to Tunisia with manager Walid Regragui successful the team.
“It is historic. Moroccans person not seen their squad successful the semifinals of an AFCON for 22 years,” Regragui said. “They merit it, but we request to support our feet connected the crushed and marque it adjacent much historic.”
Who volition the victor look successful the AFCON final?
The victor of this lucifer volition look the victor of the archetypal semifinal betwixt Senegal and Egypt.
Who are Nigeria’s champion players?
With 7 extremity involvements (three goals and 4 assists), Ademola Lookman has been Nigeria’s astir effectual subordinate astatine the tournament, proving arsenic influential arsenic some playmaker and finisher. The London-born guardant is providing beardown contention to Morocco’s Brahim Diaz for the tournament’s champion subordinate award.
Alongside Lookman, Nigeria’s talisman Victor Osimhen remains a lethal threat, scoring 4 goals, including back-to-back strikes successful the circular of 16 and quarterfinals. With 35 planetary goals successful 51 appearances for Nigeria, Osimhen is present conscionable 2 goals distant from equalling the nationalist squad grounds of 37 goals held by the precocious Rashidi Yekini, a subordinate of the Nigerian broadside that won the 1994 AFCON and besides played astatine 2 World Cups.
Striker Akor Adams has emerged arsenic an unsung hero, contributing 2 goals and 2 assists successful the past 2 matches, portion Alex Iwobi has been pulling the strings successful midfield, and skipper Wilfried Ndidi has been arsenic influential successful anchoring the mediate of the park.
Nigeria’s prima guardant Victor Osimhen has recovered his goal-scoring interaction aft a dilatory commencement to the tourney [AFP]Who are Morocco’s champion players?
Diaz has arguably been the standout performer of AFCON 2025, scoring successful each of his 5 appearances. With 5 goals, the Real Madrid winger leads the tournament’s scoring charts, with his closest challengers, Nigeria’s Osimhen and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, some connected four.
Described by manager Walid Regragui arsenic the “X origin of my team”, Diaz has marked his AFCON debut successful style, leaving viewers successful awe of his talent.
Elsewhere, striker Ayoub El Kaabi has besides caught the oculus with his acrobatic finishes, contributing 2 goals to bolster Morocco’s beforehand line.
Achraf Hakimi, wide regarded arsenic the world’s champion right-back, missed the archetypal 2 radical matches owed to an ankle wounded but has since returned to afloat fitness, starting back-to-back matches successful the knockout stage.
Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, right, and Morocco’s Abde Ezzalzouli observe aft their quarterfinal triumph implicit Cameroon [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]Nigeria and Morocco signifier guides
(All competitions, latest results first):
Nigeria: W-W-W-W-W
Morocco: W-W-W-D-W
Head-to-head
Nigeria and Morocco person met successful 11 erstwhile encounters, including some competitory and affable matches.
Morocco person a flimsy borderline successful the head-to-head record, winning six times, portion Nigeria person won 4 times. One lucifer ended successful a draw.
When did Nigeria and Morocco past meet?
The teams past met successful February 2018 successful the last of the Africa Nations Championship, commonly known arsenic CHAN.
Morocco won that crippled 4-0, and El Kaabi, from their existent squad, was 1 of the extremity scorers.
Nigeria and Morocco’s past AFCON gathering dates backmost to January 2004: a radical lucifer successful which the North Africans won 1-0.
Have Nigeria ever won an AFCON title?
Yes. Nigeria are three-time AFCON champions, winning successful 1980, 1994 and 2013.
Have Morocco ever won an AFCON title?
Yes. Morocco won their archetypal and lone rubric successful 1976. At that time, Morocco were lone the 2nd North African squad to triumph the continental title aft Egypt.
Nigeria squad news
Nigeria’s caput coach, Eric Chelle, faces a large setback, arsenic skipper Ndidi is suspended for this lucifer aft collecting his 2nd yellowish paper of the knockout signifier successful the past crippled against Algeria. His fittingness had besides been successful uncertainty aft helium picked up an wounded successful that game.
Osimhen is tipped to instrumentality implicit the captain’s armband for the semifinal.
Nigeria’s predicted lineup
Stanley Nwabali (goalkeeper); Bright Osayi-Samuel, Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Bruno Onyamaechi; Frank Onyeka, Raphael Onyedika, Alex Iwobi; Ademola Lookman; Akor Adams, Victor Osimhen
Nigeria’s caput manager Eric Chelle, right, has steered his broadside to a cleanable 5-0 grounds astatine AFCON 2025 [Sebastien Bozon/AFP]Morocco squad news
Midfielder Azzedine Ounahi is retired of the tourney with an injury, portion manager Regragui volition beryllium sweating implicit Diaz’s fittingness aft helium came disconnected precocious successful the past crippled with a heavy strapped thigh.
Morocco’s predicted lineup
Yassine Bounou (goalkeeper); Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd, Adam Masina, Noussair Mazraoui; Bilal El Khannouss, Neil El Aynaoui, Ismael Saibari; Brahim Diaz, Ayoub El Kaabi, Abdessamad Ezzalzouli
English (US) ·