2018 African Nations Championship final

2018 African Nations Championship final

Event	2018 African Nations Championship
Morocco Nigeria 4 0
Date	4 February 2018
Venue	Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca
Man of the Match	Zakaria Hadraf (Morocco)
Referee	Bakary Gassama
Attendance	75,000
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The 2018 African Nations Championship final was a football match to determine the winners of the CHAN 2018 tournament and took place on 4 February 2018 at the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca, Morocco and it was contested by Morocco the host nation and Nigeria.^[1][2] This was the first time since tournament was introduced in 2009 that a host nation reached the final. Before this match the two teams met in the 2014 CHAN tournament at the quarter-finals stage,^[3] which Nigeria won 4–3 after extra time.^[4]

Morocco won the match 4–0, winning the title for the first time and becoming the first and only team to win the tournament on home soil.

The final was held at the Stade Mohammed V in the heart of the city of Casablanca, Morocco, in the western part of Maarif district. The stadium has hosted numerous international sporting events, including the 1983 Mediterranean Games, the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations final, the 2013 African U-17 Championship as well as the CAF Super Cup final twice in 2000 and more recently in 2018 played on 23 February 2018, shortly after the CHAN final.

Morocco appeared in their 3rd tournament, and their 1st final. There previous best performance in the competition was reaching the quarterfinal in the 2014 CHAN. Nigeria also appeared in their 3rd tournament, and their 1st final. There previous best performance was reaching the semifinals of the 2014 CHAN. Morocco and Nigeria had met once in the competition before, the time when Nigeria knocked Morocco out of the 2014 CHAN after defeating them 4–3 in extra time, in the quarterfinals after Abubakar Aliyu Ibrahim scored the winner at the 111th minute.

Morocco were 39th in the FIFA World Rankings (4th among African nations), while Nigeria were 51st (9th among African nations).^[5]

Morocco		Round	Nigeria
Opponents	Result	Group stage	Opponents	Result
Mauritania	4–0	Match 1	Rwanda	0–0
Guinea	3–1	Match 2	Libya	1–0
Sudan	0–0	Match 3	Equatorial Guinea	3–1
Group A winner Pos Team Pld Pts 1  Morocco (H) 3 7 2  Sudan 3 7 3  Guinea 3 3 4  Mauritania 3 0 Source: CAF (H) Hosts		Final standings	Group C winner Pos Team Pld Pts 1  Nigeria 3 7 2  Libya 3 6 3  Rwanda 3 4 4  Equatorial Guinea 3 0 Source: CAF
Opponents	Result	Knockout stage	Opponents	Result
Namibia	2–0	Quarter-finals	Angola	2–1 (a.e.t.)
Libya	3–1 (a.e.t.)	Semi-finals	Sudan	1–0

Morocco's first chance came in the third minute when Walid El Karti flicked the ball in from close range. The hosts thought they had scored just four minutes later when Ayoub El Kaabi headed home, only for the assistant referee's flag to go up – claiming the corner had swung out of play before it reached the striker.^[6] Morocco unsettled Nigeria with their early dominance as the West Africans laboured in search of their rhythm. And they kept the Nigerian backline busy till the quarter-hour mark during which Ayoub El Kaabi was denied by the crossbar from a Zakaria Hadraf cross from the left.^[7] The Super Eagles came into the fore around the 20th minute mark but rarely threatened the Moroccan defence.

Just before the break, the stadium came alive with the opener courtesy Hadraf. Captain Badr Benoun went on a solo run beating two players and found Abdeljalil Jbira whose cross was slotted home by Hadraf to send the stadium into raptures. Nigeria relied mainly on long balls forward for their attacks and Morocco's Anas Zniti did not have a serious save to make before half-time. Trailing by a lone goal, Nigeria’s chances of a comeback were dealt a severe blow two minutes after recess when Peter Moses was sent off for a second yellow card after fouling Hadraf.

The second goal came on 61 minutes through El Karti, and yet again, Ismail Haddad was the architect. El Kaabi was for the second time denied the post and Haddad pounced on the loose ball and fired a shot on goal that Nigeria goalkeeper Dele Ajiboye parried for El Karti to head home the rebound. Hadraf completed his brace two minutes later after Ajiboye made a weak touch of a Haddad cross, and the former tapped home the rebound to take the game beyond the Nigerians. El Kaabi finally registered his name of the scoring cards, firing past Ajiboye from close range on 74 minutes for his ninth of the competition, and seal victory.

Morocco thus won its first major continental championship since their 1976 African Cup of Nations triumph.^[8]

4 February 2018 (2018-02-04)

19:00 WET

Morocco	4–0	Nigeria
Hadraf 44', 64' El Karti 61' El Kaabi 73'	Report

Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca

Attendance: 75,000

Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia)

Morocco[9]

Nigeria[9]

GK 1 Anas Zniti RB 16 Mohamed Nahiri CB 5 Jawad El Yamiq CB 13 Badr Benoun (c)  77' LB 20 Abdeljalil Jbira RM 7 Zakaria Hadraf  72' CM 8 Salaheddine Saidi CM 6 Badr Boulahroud  52'  60' LM 11 Ismail El Haddad SS 10 Walid El Karti CF 9 Ayoub El Kaabi  82' Substitutions: MF 19 Barrahma El Mehdi  60' FW 14 Ahmed Hammoudan  72' FW 23 Ayoub Nanah  82' Manager: Jamal Sellami

GK 16 Dele Ajiboye RB 2 Osas Okoro  34' CB 6 Stephen Eze CB 5 Orji Kalu (c) LB 12 Ikouwem Udo DM 4 Emeka Atuloma CM 10 Rabiu Ali  57' CM 15 Dayo Ojo RF 7 Emeka Ogbugh  53' CF 22 Gabriel Okechukwu LF 11 Peter Moses  44'  49' Substitutions: FW 9 Anthony Okpotu  53' MF 18 Augustine Oladapo  57' Manager: Salisu Yusuf

This final witnessed some records, like:

1. Morocco's became the first host nation to claim the CHAN title.^[6]
2. Morocco won its first major continental championship since their triumph in the 1976 African Cup of Nations.^[8]

• 2018 African Nations Championship

• 5th Edition Of Total African Nations Championship, Morocco 2018, CAFonline.com