AFCON: ‘Our lions rose’ – Bounou boasts about Morocco’s win over Nigeria

Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has boasted after their win against the Super Eagles in the Africa Cup of Nations semifinals on Wednesday.

The goalkeeper was the star of the shootout, stopping penalty kicks from Bruno Onyemaechi and Samuel Chukwueze, and was chosen as the official Man of the Match.

Morocco made it to the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after beating Nigeria’s Super Eagles 4-2 in a penalty shootout at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

The match ended in a draw after regular time and extra time.

Eric Chelle’s team had their worst showing in the tournament, with just two shots taken during the whole 120 minutes, and only one of those was on target.

Meanwhile, Morocco had sixteen shots, with five of them hitting the target.

Because their captain, Wilfred Ndidi, was suspended for too many bookings, Nigeria had a hard time controlling the midfield.

The Atlas Lions were able to cut off Nigeria’s passes several times. Bounou talked about the team’s game against the Super Eagles, saying it was a real rollercoaster.

He pointed out how tough the three-time African champions were physically.

After the game, Bounou talked to the media, saying, “We played well at the start and had control of the match for about 65 minutes. But then our game slowed down a bit because the Nigerian players were very physical and played with a lot of energy. But our Lions stepped up and fought hard against them.

“We are now concentrating a lot on the final game against Senegal to win the title.”

Nigeria will play against Egypt in the third place playoff on Saturday evening at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca.