The Super Eagles’ Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 journey ended in heartbreak after a tense semi-final loss to hosts Morocco in Rabat.
Nigeria pushed the Atlas Lions all the way, but small details proved costly as the game was decided by penalties after a goalless 120 minutes.
AFCON 2025: Super Eagles fall short against Morocco
Morocco edged the contest in chances created and showed greater composure when it mattered most.
After normal time and extra time failed to produce a goal, the hosts won the shootout 4-2, with Yassine Bounou saving two spot-kicks.
Stanley Nwabali pulled off one save, but it was not enough to keep the Super Eagles in the final race.
Speaking after the match, Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle admitted his side did not fully hit the required level against a strong Moroccan team.
He pointed to three key areas that hurt Nigeria’s chances — intensity, tactical execution, and movement.
“We missed a lot of things, the intensity, tactically, and the movement. Morocco deserves this victory, but our state of mind was good; we fought for every ball. It was not easy for us in this game, but the players gave a good response,” Chelle said.
“It is difficult because we lost on penalties again. It’s sad because we worked a lot during the training session, but this is football, and we have to accept it.”
Despite the defeat, the Super Eagles boss praised his players’ attitude, stressing that commitment was never in doubt during the AFCON 2025 semi-final.
AFCON 2025 tactical issues exposed in Rabat
Chelle also broke down the tactical problems that surfaced as the game progressed. Nigeria started brightly but could not sustain their early pressure, especially in the demanding 4-4-2 diamond setup.
“We played with 4-4-2 diamond, and when you play this formation, you need to put high pressure because if you don’t do that, you could struggle,” he explained.
“In the first 15 minutes our pressing was good, but after that every time we missed one metre, two metres, and it was difficult for us because it was difficult for us in the high pressure; technically it was not the same again,” the gaffer concluded.
As the intensity dropped, Morocco grew into the match, limiting the Super Eagles to just two attempts and eventually forcing the game to penalties.
The loss ends Nigeria’s AFCON 2025 title hopes, but the Super Eagles will now have to prepare for the third-place playoff against Egypt.