The Atlas Lions of Morocco will play against the Teranga Lions of Senegal in the AFCON 2025 final after they defeated the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the semi-final, Soccernet.ng reports.
Morocco's head coach, Walid Regragui, has praised Eric Chelle's men for putting up a worthy fight last night at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah.
It was a cagey affair between both sides as only six goal attempts were recorded throughout 90 minutes, and both sides had to be separated by penalties.
Al Hilal's Yassine Bounou was the hero for the hosts, denying Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi from twelve yards to send Morocco to the AFCON 2025 final.
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Morocco's Walid Regragui salutes the Super Eagles
The Atlas Lions appointed Regragui in August 2022, and after helping them become the first-ever African team to reach the semi-final of the Mundial four months later, the 50-year-old tactician led Morocco to a 22-game unbeaten run.
There's little wonder as to why the Moroccan defence was hard to breach by a free-scoring Super Eagles team. Still, Regragui praised the Super Eagles for their resilient performance in Rabat.
“They [Nigeria] are an athletic team; they ran a lot, but they had two shots, one of which was on target. It just goes to show, we've been talking about the defence for three years now,” the former Wydad Casablanca coach said in quotes revealed by Flashscore.
“We came up against a very solid team. We still have room for improvement. We have a fighting spirit, a desire to play for the jersey. It has always been my objective to instil that.
“We need to change our DNA. We need to get used to playing in the semi-finals. The more consistent we are, the more titles we can win.
“We closed down the angles of positioning, the transitions. It was tough, I won’t lie.
“What interests me is self-esteem. It can be perceived as arrogance. I don’t expect people to give me anything.
“No one can erase what I’ve done before. The most important thing is that Morocco is in the final. I need to focus on bringing it home together.
“What matters to us is celebrating tonight, but we’re preparing for Sunday starting tomorrow. Well done to the medical staff who never stop.
“Today is a victory for everyone. Recovery will begin so that we are ready mentally and physically.
“It’s a superb final with the best African teams of the last three years. A fantastic team and golden people, brothers of Morocco. It’s a superb match-up.
“We have three days to recover. It's a fifth-to-fifth tie. It's the first time we've faced them in a final,” the Moroccan tactician concluded.
Since taking over the Morocco coaching role in August 2022, Regragui has won 48 games, drawn nine games and lost eight.
