African Football Discussion Thread Current Topic: 👉 AFCON 2025/2026

[Odusko]

Victor Osimhen can't afford to get injured now, well good that he us back on his feet but we need him for the finals if we eventually qualify, the game is a tough one Morocco side are not bowing to pressure but rather they are pressing so hard to make a goal score that can mark their winning which the Nigeria team won alow easily.

[Spaceman1000$]

Let's not give up on them yet, it's the way Morocco are giving us pressure Nigeria is returning but our forward are not doing much amazing job. The least place I will want to see us is penalty, I don't want to experience another one after what happened with Dr. Congo that eliminates us from World cup, the experience still hurt. Whatever Eric is on this night, I hope he doesn't substitute Osimhen, let the guy play until the final minute to avoid blame games later.

Well said.
Osimhen should play the full 90 minutes he’s important in keeping the game balanced. I believe we can pull through we just need to have a good opening. And to the Coach, I pray he doesn’t come under any pressure to make a wrong decision for the team right now. So far, he’s doing well.

That is one composure I like about Eric Chelle, his not under undue pressure to make unnecessary changes, although the pressure on the super Eagles has been intensed, at least more than the Algerian game. I knew Morocco where a tough side, but I wasn't expecting it to be this tough. This game so far been a litmus test for the super Eagles, this is the only game I've seen them fall back on defence and having less attacking action, let's watch and see what the extra time pans out, maybe a PK shoot out will be the last resort

[GiftedMAN]

Physically Morocco and Nigeria has been tested, no real dominance from any of them but Morocco has had the best record on the statistics.
Nigerian keeper and that of Morocco are good in spot kicks so if this goes to penalty any one of them can win this.
I think Nigeria has lost the midfield since the beginning that is why Osimhen and Akor Adams hasn’t been in the game. They both have 30 minutes to try again.

The good thing in this game is that despite the tactical display of the host nation the Nigerian team has managed to keep them calm that's the major reason why they are yet to concede in the game but before we go to the spot kick we should be concerned about finishing the extra minutes because the referee seems to be against Nigeria and he may likely make some crazy decisions to ensure that Morocco don't get to the penalty kick. For the two keepers, I think they are good but Nigerian players are not too good when it comes to taking the penalty but I just hope they get rewarded tonight cause they have really been dealt with by the referee or their match.

[Taricoins]

This is the first Nigeria game I’m watching since the beginning of AFCON.. I’ve heard they’ve been very impressive, but this match isn’t really showing that. So far the midfield is somehow nowhere to be found ,  too many unsuccessful passes from the players.. they just dispossessed so easily.

The defence has been doing a lot of the work because Morocco is attacking heavily. Nigeria really needs to do better fr  else we going home once again.

Yeah I know how it may seem like that but honestly this Nigeria side against Morocco are not just doing it, I feel Morocco is playing most of the game, from that first half point of view, Nigeria did play better it's just that it got worse, there passing, communication and even holdup plays from center forwards, Akor Adams has been especially bad at his passes.

Previous matches where not like this but currently, even the Nigeria midfield is invisible, guess this match is going to the penalties because even Morocco can't convert, though with Bassey there, Nigeria's defense has been quite stable.

[JiiBs]

Victor Osimhen can't afford to get injured now, well good that he us back on his feet but we need him for the finals if we eventually qualify, the game is a tough one Morocco side are not bowing to pressure but rather they are pressing so hard to make a goal score that can mark their winning which the Nigeria team won alow easily.

Well he didn’t, the slip turned out not to be anything severe but, it’s being an interesting game between these two giants. They both understand that having to conceive in course of the regular time or even extra time could prove disastrous and both teams have played with great respect for what the other team can do, being cautious and making very good clearances when they spot any danger.
Morocco have being the better side in this fixture though but, the penalty would be the decider eventually.

[Joy_learns_crypto]

120 minutes are up and Nigeria vs the host of Afcon are going into penalties, the Nigerian coach brought in Samuel Chukwueze less than a minute to the final whistle and I don’t think he touched the ball, that is an indication that Chukwueze will be taking a penalty.
It is time Nwabali makes himself the hero again at the Afcon and help Nigeria go through to the final.
But one thing I will not want to see is the use of lasers by the Moroccan fans.

[Charles-Tim]

The good thing in this game is that despite the tactical display of the host nation the Nigerian team has managed to keep them calm that's the major reason why they are yet to concede in the game but before we go to the spot kick we should be concerned about finishing the extra minutes because the referee seems to be against Nigeria and he may likely make some crazy decisions to ensure that Morocco don't get to the penalty kick.

The extra time has ended, we are now going for penalty shootout. But do not forget it is their home, I hope the penalty will favour us.

For the two keepers, I think they are good but Nigerian players are not too good when it comes to taking the penalty but I just hope they get rewarded tonight cause they have really been dealt with by the referee or their match.

Because we lost the penalty shootouts to DR Congo on November 16, 2025? That does not mean. There are time that we have won penalties before. My fear is that we are in their home and nothing more.

[Harkorede]

Previous matches where not like this but currently, even the Nigeria midfield is invisible, guess this match is going to the penalties because even Morocco can't convert, though with Bassey there, Nigeria's defense has been quite stable.

I love how composed the Nigerian defense was today, they weren’t committing fully in attack, but they were solid in keeping both Hakimi and Brahim Diaz at bay, that’s never an easy job for any defense line.

————

Now it’s penalty shootout and my heart is pacing, with Bounou in goal for the Moroccans.

[promise444c5]

Moroccan have 10 times more chances to score than Nigeria, but it is Moroccan home. I remember when we played the last AFCON final with Ivory Coast, the match I thought we are going to win was lost, it is not easy to play away match..

I didn’t even.check the away team.. I was only interested in enjoying the match. Now it makes more sense but then we didn’t really play very well to me. Our defense was just so solid because they tried every means to get through.

We are obviously the toughest side Moroccans have faced and I can say the same for them for them. Two quality sides like this should have results ending this way. I must give our players credit, they have done more than enough and Morocco has done the same thing.

Well we tried but most credit should go to the defenders and the keeper.. Bassey played a big role tonight same with Nwabali (our keeper) they kinda saved the day.. I don’t know which of them deserves the MOTM if we eventually win.

[Frankolala]

Now it’s penalty shootout and my heart is pacing, with Bounou in goal for the Moroccans.

I said it that when you put your hope on Nigerians to win an important match, they end up messing it up. Morocco was the better side in the penalty shootout, I knew it that Nigeria wouldn't be able to make it to the finals when it comes to penalties. Morocco will play Senegal in the finals. It's gon be an interesting game.

[Antotena]

I sense some level of bias from the referee, although I expected things to be done in the home teams favor to some extent. Nigeria not conceding in this first half is pure luck, if you watched carefully, you'll see the Moroccan team pressing Nigeria so hard throughout the first half, although I like Nigerian tactical response, but I cannot deny how much we miss Ndidi in that center.

The referee is not balancing the game with how he's officiating is almost looking as though the officiating referee is doing his job in favour of the home team. Nigeria nevertheless has been showing some roughness irrespective of how the game is going. This has being the strongest match for this AFCON, the tempo is high and even in the extra halves the players are still looking agile with no show of fatigue despite the long time of play.

I see many people blaming the referee but the thing be is that, there is no way officiating can be 100% perfect. Let's leave the full time play and focus on what the players did in the penalty, that's what I'm very interested in right now. Nigeria loss and that's it but Chukwueze need is not a serious player, why would you have an over confident and cost us one good penalty that you would have taken, he did it like he wasn't paid the bonus they were promised.

I'm not happy that we lose the way I was shouting in ball house tonight but it's good we are out. At least I can sleep peacefully that I don't have to worry what we are going to play in the final. They raise your spirit and act like they at going to win the League but when the time comes, they act like they don't deserve it. We tried by the way but I'm not happy with the way this game ended, we had everything in our hands and we let it split out of our hands.

[JiiBs]

Now it’s penalty shootout and my heart is pacing, with Bounou in goal for the Moroccans.

Morocco was definitely the better team and they had far better penalty takers. They had a more composed spot kick while, the Nigerian players came with an aura that they themselves could not contain. Chukwueze happened to have being brought on for the penalties and he trashed the opportunities he was given before it could get cold.

What a way to go but, someone has got to loose and Nigeria just happened to have done their most for the tournament.

[Mabebe]

Congratulations to Morocco as they advanced on a 4:2 on penalties. They were the better team of tonight and a deserved victory for them. The best team won tonight. But what kind of penalty is that from Chukwueze, he struck the ball as if he didn't care. It's was just too casual for a man that wants to win. It was a weak hit from the Nigerian player.

[Kavelj22]

Nigeria have to buckle up and play smart this time around because about 45 minutes gone already and no goal, this is an indication that anything can happen to the side that can quickly take advantage of the other, I hope the Super Eagle do not see another side of Morocco players with the way the match is going, though we are just getting to the half time, maybe the second half could change the story and Nigeria could make a goal.

Nigeria is lucky to not accept goals yet from Morocco. During first half, it looks like Nigeria is afraid from Morocco attacks rather than to score its first goal. I feel like they want to draw with no goals then go to penalties. Morocco is a strong competitor that it's not like old days when Nigeria was the football leader in Africa. I bet on Morocco to score the first goal then focus on defense only. It's an amazing match.

Although Morocco has got some good chances but the resistance from both sides is very impressive, you can see how well they're defending and very careful not to cause a big errors that would lead to their opponent scoring, anyways Morocco is doing all they can to remain in the tournament, im impressed with their performance.

 However, this is not the best of the Super Eagles, I really want to see that confidence I saw against Algeria in the second half, I know the Morrocans are putting much pressure on them and they can't control the game very well, but they need to work on their confidence in the second half and calm the pressure, maybe if they can get more closer to Morocco’s box often they could be lucky find the net since they have better attackers.

It seems my prediction came true, and Nigeria managed to hold Morocco to a draw, leaving the final result to be decided solely by luck in penalties kicks. It was a fantastic match with high performance from both sides. Nigeria is still the strong old school, while Morocco is the new football generation full of ambitions. I don't want to make deeper comparisons.

Ironically, I chose not to bet on this match since I support Morocco, so I said my decision would be emotional, just like in previous games.

[odunybiz]

This is the first Nigeria game I’m watching since the beginning of AFCON.. I’ve heard they’ve been very impressive, but this match isn’t really showing that. So far the midfield is somehow nowhere to be found ,  too many unsuccessful passes from the players.. they just dispossessed so easily.

The defence has been doing a lot of the work because Morocco is attacking heavily. Nigeria really needs to do better fr  else we going home once again.

We are obviously the toughest side Moroccans have faced and I can say the same for them for them. Two quality sides like this should have results ending this way. I must give our players credit, they have done more than enough and Morocco has done the same thing. They the host have had the best chances in the first half but they couldn't find ways to score. The game seems like one to be decided with the spot kick, whatever ways, I'm certain Nigeria proceeds to the finals.

Nigeria played a very nice football but it's unfortunate they lose out during penalty shoot out. I know if this match end up with penalty, it may go against us. Well, someone must definitely win a match. Congratulations to Morocco as they advance to the final stage of Afcon. To me, Morocco has already played the final match today because this will definitely be the toughest match from their side.

[Agbamoni]

No one should blame the ref even if he has not been solid all through the 120 minutes.
The game has ended, a huge victory for the host. Of course, the Super Eagles did not give them the win on a platter of gold. They worked hard to get it, and yes, in penalties, it is a 50/50 thing. Only the lucky one will win. Morocco was the lucky side in the penalties, so let's accept the fate and hope for the next AFCON.
I believe we can always do better.

[Sandra_hakeem]

Nigeria has lost to Morocco... You see, this is very shameful in a way that I never wanted to post about them, but I still have to criticize their stupidity to their face... What exactly was that on the pitch? Is that how winners play? Look at the level at which these players were nonchalant about the game. Why will you leave your hotel rooms, after getting paid your due weekly and monthly allowances, only to come and disgrace your families? ^{[Cause clearly, you disgrace y'all families, not the citizens]}

I knew a miracle wasn't happening any time soon... Enhmm, I call it the "Gunners plague".. that's what keeps them, year in year out, just like it does to Arsenal, at the level of atmost, the semi-finals. That was a disgusting performance and I'm really pissed!

[Marykeller]

That is one composure I like about Eric Chelle, his not under undue pressure to make unnecessary changes, although the pressure on the super Eagles has been intensed, at least more than the Algerian game. I knew Morocco where a tough side, but I wasn't expecting it to be this tough. This game so far been a litmus test for the super Eagles, this is the only game I've seen them fall back on defence and having less attacking action, let's watch and see what the extra time pans out, maybe a PK shoot out will be the last resort

The match winner is decided on PK. The Moroccan won the Super Eagles by 4-2.
I wouldn't castigate the Super Eagles for losing to Morocco on penalties, I would congratulate them instead for their so far impressive performance, which has made us proud this time for reaching this far in the AFCON tournament. We saw a significant improvement in the team, and we will continue to see more and more progress from the Super Eagles side in the African competitions ahead.

Next, it's for us this time to beat Egypt to at least win the bronze of this year's AFCON tournament hosted in Morocco. The Super Eagles can do it, at least Ndidi will be on the pitch to control our midfield because in today's match, our midfield wasn't strong

[Y3shot]

Congratulations to Morocco as they advanced on a 4:2 on penalties. They were the better team of tonight and a deserved victory for them. The best team won tonight. But what kind of penalty is that from Chukwueze, he struck the ball as if he didn't care. It's was just too casual for a man that wants to win. It was a weak hit from the Nigerian player.

I never expected chukweze to lose the penalty, at this point I already knew that Nigeria may likely not win, but all the same they tried their best and their performance was not bad .

The game was very tough, it is just a game that ended in luck. Morocco deserves the win because it was not easy, they played very well and I really like their style of game. Congratulations to Morocco abd I think they have better chances of winn8ng the final game.

[IceLincoln]

Finally the game comes to an end, a fiercely contested battle. The Super Eagles were not only playing against the 11 Morrocans on the field but against the Crowd (fans), the officials.. they were woeful today, and all the noise and pressure but they were able to hold their own. Sadly they were finally defeated on penalties breaking the hearts of many Nigerians who had thought they will come out the victor because of their outstanding performances on their previous matches.

That Samuel Chukwueze’s penalty was like he wasn’t happy at all to be called on, he should have left it for other players. Nigeria doesn’t have a good record of penalties in the AFCON. They need to work on that.
Stanley Nwabali still remains a good goalkeeper.
Naija try again next time….. We’re the highest holders of Silver and Bronze Medals…..