The Atlas Lions of Morocco roared into the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations following a penalty shootout win over Nigeria’s Super Eagles in front of over 65,000 home crowds at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on Wednesday night.

The high-profile clash was dubbed the ‘final before the final’ by football fans ahead of the encounter, due to the quality of football the two sides had shown in their previous matches in the tournament, which drew the attention of millions of people around the world.

Morocco quickly entered the match, commanding the ball from right to left, but it was the Super Eagles who had the first shot on target when Ademola Lookman forced goalkeeper Yassine Bounou into a save from a shot just outside the box.

The hosts came close minutes later through Achraf Hakimi, but the Paris-Saint-Germain defender’s free kick went over the crossbar by a small margin. Ismael Saibari came close for Morocco just before halftime, but Stanley Nwabali saved his effort from inside the box.

Nigeria came into the second half as a rejuvenated side, which brought the game the hyped fans had anticipated. However, neither side could break the deadlock after regulation time, sending the tie into extra time.

The game went into a penalty shootout after the 30 minutes of extra time ended goalless, with Morocco emerging 4-2 winners after Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi missed their kicks.

Meanwhile, Morocco will face Senegal in the tournament final at the same venue on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Nigeria will face Egypt in the third-place match in Casablanca on Saturday.