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Youssef El-Nesyri scored the winning penalty and Yassine “Bono” Bounou saved two as Morocco advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations final with a 4-2 win on penalties over Nigeria on Wednesday.

Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali saved one but was bettered by Bono in the shootout after the teams drew 0-0 with extra time in front of 65,458 mostly Morocco supporters in Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

“We played with 12 (players),” Morocco coach Walid Regragui said of the fans. There were some green-clad Nigeria fans present, struggling to make themselves heard.

The host nation set up a title match in the same stadium Sunday with 2021 champion Senegal, which defeated Egypt 1-0 the other semifinal earlier in Tangier.

Morocco is bidding for its first title since its only success in 1976 and tickets for the decider are likely to command steep prices.

There were reports before Wednesday’s game that tickets with a face value of 300-500 dirhams ($32-42) for the semifinal were going for as much as 7,000 dirhams ($760) or more on the illegal market.

It was easy to tell which team was in possession from the deafening chorus of fans’ whistles any time a Nigeria player had the ball.

Calvin Bassey was the first to receive the home fans’ piercing welcome when he took a walk out alone on the field before the match. He responded with a huge smile.

Morocco went close with the early chances with Semi Ajayi producing a brilliant block to stop Ismael Saibari. Brahim Díaz whipped a shot past the far post and then tried riling up the already riled crowd.

Bassey was booked for a tactical foul outside the penalty box, which would have ruled him out of the final with a suspension if the Super Eagles made it. Instead he’ll miss the unpopular third-place decider against Egypt in Casablanca on Saturday.

Ademola Lookman had Nigeria’s only shot on target — too close to Bono in the Morocco goal after some fine team play. Ultimately, there was too little of that from the Super Eagles.

“It was a team that had scored 14 goals. They had two shots and only hit the target once. That tells you something,” Regragui said.

His team had 16 shots, five on target, with Díaz, Ayoub El Kaabi and Achraf Hakimi all enjoying good chances. Nigeria held on to get the game to the shootout, where Bono saved from Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi to set up El-Nesyri for the winner.

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Former Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo has named Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey as the best in his position at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

According to him, the Fulham defender has been outstanding and has taken charge of the Super Eagles’ defence.

Nigeria have won all their matches at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, scoring 14 goals in the process and keeping clean sheets in their last two games.

However, the Super Eagles face what is widely considered their toughest challenge so far in the tournament as they take on host nation Morocco in the semifinals.

Analysing the game on SuperSport, Ighalo, who is arguably one of the best strikers Nigeria has produced, said Bassey has shown his quality throughout the tournament.

“Bassey, for me, is one of the best defenders, if not the best, in this tournament. I see him as the best so far,” he said.

Heading into the clash against Morocco, Nigeria have already defeated two North African teams, Tunisia 3–2 and Algeria 2–0.

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Arsenal delivered a 3–2 victory away at Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi‑final first leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

The London rivals produced an exciting contest, with Arsenal taking the lead early when Ben White scored after a corner miscue by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez.

Viktor Gyökeres then doubled Arsenal’s advantage shortly after the break with a composed finish.

Chelsea fought back in the second half through Alejandro Garnacho, who scored twice — including a late strike following a chaotic corner — but Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi restored a two‑goal cushion with a well‑taken solo effort in between.

The result gives Arsenal a strong away lead heading into the second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

The semi‑final tie, part of the Carabao Cup competition, saw both teams missing key players due to injuries or suspensions, while fans and pundits noted the high intensity throughout the 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, the second leg is set to take place at Emirates Stadium in early February, with Arsenal holding the advantage after this thrilling first leg.

Man City also won 2-0 at the Saint James Park in the other semi-final clash against Newcastle on Tuesday night.

According to Arsenal on its website, “Following our Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, we’re back in Premier League action on Saturday, January 17, at 5.30pm, taking on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

“We then round off our run of four straight away games with a trip to Milan to face Inter at San Siro in the Champions League on Tuesday, January 20.”