Morocco beats Nigeria on penalties to reach Africa Cup of Nations final vs. Senegal

By Canadian Press on January 14, 2026.

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Youssef El-Nesyri scored the winning penalty and Yassine “Bono” Bounou saved two as Morocco booked its place in 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 fans in Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

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.

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AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations

Ciarán Fahey, The Associated Press