Morocco beat Nigeria 4-2 on penalties: AFCON semifinal – as it happened

That is it from our live coverage of Nigeria against Morocco in the second semifinal of AFCON 2025.

The host nation reached the final, but not without the need for penalties.

The free-scoring Super Eagles are left to battle it out with Egypt for the bronze-medal match on Saturday, but it will come as scant consolation for the former, who were hoping to make up for the disappointment of missing out on a place at the FIFA 2026 World Cup.

Sunday is set to be a thriller, with Senegal led by the on-fire Sadio Mane, so set the alarms for that one – and don’t forget our coverage of the Manchester derby on Saturday.

For now, though – from me, Kevin Hand – it’s goodbye.

On Saturday, we’ll bring you live coverage of the Manchester derby as Pep Guardiola’s City take on a United side under the interim charge of Michael Carrick.

Do join us for that one, if you can, and don’t forget the big event from AFCON on Sunday, as Senegal and Morocco go head-to-head in the final.

0 - Mohamed Salah tonight failed to have a touch in the opponent's penalty area for the first time in a CAF Africa Cup of Nations match he played more than 45 minutes in. Absent. #TotalEnergiesAFCON25 pic.twitter.com/feqYV0xoWH

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 14, 2026

“The players fought for every ball, and it is difficult to lose on penalties, but this is football, and we have to accept it,” the Nigeria coach said.

“It is difficult to play here in Morocco because you have to play against the team and against the crowd.”

“It was one of the hardest matches we have had against a very solid and talented team,” the Morocco coach said.

“I am very happy for the players and for the Moroccan people who really deserve this.

“It is a great gift for them to be in the final, but we will need to recover quickly because we put a lot of energy into this game.”

Click here to read our full match report following Morocco’s victory against Nigeria.

Senegal await in the final, and in Sadio Mane, they have a forward to be feared. Yet another goal saw off Egypt in their semifinal earlier in the day.

20 - Sadio Mané has been directly involved in more CAF Africa Cup of Nations goals than any other player since his debut and is the first on record (since 2010) to reach 20 goal involvements at the tournament (11 goals, 9 assists). Greatness. #TotalEnergiesAFCON25 pic.twitter.com/eF3buBIdfm

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 14, 2026

Real Madrid have been dumped out of the Copa del Rey in Spain following a shock 3-2 defeat by Albacete of the second tier.

It was Real’s first match since sacking Xabi Alonso.

Click here to read our match report.

Senegal forward Sadio Mane, who netted the only goal of the semifinal: “I was a bit lucky, you have to admit, because the ball came from nowhere. It hit my stomach, it was well-positioned, and I instinctively took a first-time shot.”

Senegal defender Moussa Niakhate added: “We totally ‌deserved this victory. We prevented them from playing ⁠their game. We were determined to impose our style of play. When we’re at this level, we’re very strong.”

4/7 - Yassine Bounou has saved 4 of the 7 penalties he's faced across Morocco's last two penalty shoot-outs:

2/3 vs Spain
2/4 vs Nigeria

Expert. pic.twitter.com/SRu9vX3cDa

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 14, 2026

2 - Nigeria's 2 shots tonight is their lowest total in an AFCON match since Opta records began; their last shot of the game came in the 51st minute. Mute. pic.twitter.com/W2VykGMxLh

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 14, 2026

For glory. For history. For Africa.
Two came all this way. 🇲🇦🇸🇳

This is the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 final. pic.twitter.com/ZUuGpeu2og

— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) January 14, 2026

Morocco will face the Teranga Lions in Sunday’s final after they edged past Egypt in the first semifinal earlier on Wednesday.

Sadio Mane’s 78th-minute goal was the difference between the two sides in that one.

You can read our full report of the match below.

Senegal beat Egypt 1-0 in AFCON semifinal as Sadio Mane scores late

The AFCON hosts will return to Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat for Sunday’s final.

They’ll face Senegal – who last won the competition in 2021.

Morocco are aiming to win AFCON for only the second time, with their last victory in the tournament coming exactly 50 years ago in 1976.

إلــى نــهــائــي كــــــأس أمــــم إفــريــقــيــا 💪🏻🇲🇦

𝗧𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗔𝗙 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗖𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 🤩#DimaMaghrib pic.twitter.com/7IZYVkBz9y

— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) January 14, 2026

After such a promising AFCON campaign, Nigeria were unable to clear another hurdle and reach Sunday’s final.

Their star players never really got into the game, with the likes of Alexi Iwobi and Ademola Lookman unable to influence the match.

It was another solid defensive performance from Nigeria, with Calvin Bassey standing out at the back.

But ultimately, poor penalties from Onyamaechi and Chukwueze were the difference.

Cameroonian Football Federation president Samuel Eto’o has been suspended for four games for alleged misbehaviour during his team’s loss to Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The federation, known as FECAFOOT, said Wednesday that it had taken note of the decision from the disciplinary committee of the Confederation of African Football to suspend its president along with a $20,000 fine, but that it “lacks any explicit justification”.

“FECAFOOT further notes that the expedited procedure leading to this decision raises serious concerns regarding the fundamental requirements of a fair trial,” the federation said.

CAF said Monday it was investigating match incidents during the quarterfinals between Cameroon and Morocco, and Algeria and Nigeria.

Click here to read our full report.

HOSTS. HISTORY. FINALISTS. 🇲🇦

The Atlas Lions are into
the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 final. pic.twitter.com/mkQRuAoknw

— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) January 14, 2026