The final of the “Africa Nations” “winks” to the teams of Morocco and Egypt

Prince Moulay Abdullah Stadium in Rabat will be the scene of one of the largest confrontations in the African Cup of Nations, when the Moroccan national team, owner of the land and the public, meets its Nigerian counterpart today in a fiery confrontation in the golden square of the continental championship, and the Egyptian national team also clashes with its Senegalese counterpart in a revenge summit, also today, in the city of Tangier.

The two winners will meet in the final match for the championship title, next Sunday, at Prince Moulay Abdullah Stadium in Rabat, while the two losers will face off for third place next Saturday at Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca.

Morocco – Nigeria

This confrontation is considered an “early final” by all standards, because Nigeria is chasing its fourth title to strengthen its coffers, while Morocco is fighting to end a long drought for continental gold that has lasted 50 years, specifically since its only title in 1976.

The match gains additional importance with the presence of the continent’s elite stars who won the Best in Africa awards, such as Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Achraf Hakimi.

Nigeria is considered the most exciting story in this tournament. After the great disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup following the loss to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Eagles rose up under the leadership of Malian coach Eric Schell, as he presented the best offensive performance, achieving the perfect score with five consecutive victories.

On the other hand, Morocco, led by coach Walid Regragui, is armed with iron defensive solidity. It topped Group A with seven points from two wins and a draw, then surpassed Tanzania 1-0 in the round of 16 before ousting Cameroon with two unanswered goals in the quarter-finals.

What is impressive is that the goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, did not concede a single goal from “open play” throughout the tournament, as it conceded only one goal from a penalty kick.

The Nigerian national team enters the match suffering a painful blow, as the leader and main engine, Wilfred Ndidi, is absent due to the accumulation of yellow cards, in addition to the hamstring injury he suffered against Algeria, and despite his improvement, the suspension prevents him from playing.

This African summit smells of “revenge and restoration,” as the Egyptian national team, led by its technical director, Hossam Hassan, and its star and captain, Mohamed Salah, seeks revenge on the Lions of Teranga, who deprived the Pharaohs of the eighth title, and they achieved the title for the first time in their history by defeating the Egyptian national team on penalties in the final of the previous edition in Cameroon 2021.

The Senegalese national team, led by its technical director, Pape Thiaw, has the advantage of playing in Tangier since the beginning of the team’s journey in the tournament.

This time, the Egyptian national team is based on the solidity of its defense line and the experience of its goalkeeper, Mohamed El-Shenawy, in addition to the brilliance of the English Premier League duo, Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, who scored six goals out of the nine goals for the Pharaohs in their journey in the tournament, with four goals for the Liverpool star, and two goals for the Manchester City player.

On the other hand, the Senegal national team includes a significant number of experienced players who won the only title in 2022.