Published January 15, 2026
The streets of Morocco and Senegal filled the streets of Morocco and Senegal as jubilant spectators filled the streets as Morocco defeated Nigeria and Senegal defeated Egypt as both countries celebrated their place in the AFCON soccer finals.
In the first semi-final, Morocco defeated Nigeria 4-2 on penalties, with Youssef El-Nesyri converting the winning penalty and goalkeeper Yassine “Bono” Bounou making two important saves.
Despite Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabari making one save, Bono proved more influential by stopping Samuel Chukwueze twice in front of a crowd of 65,458 at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Wednesday after regulation and extra time ended in a 0-0 stalemate.
In the other semi-final, Sadio Mane once again defeated former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah to lead Senegal to a 1-0 victory over Egypt. Salah’s dream of winning the African Championship remains unfulfilled. Egypt previously lost to Senegal on penalties in the 2021 final, although Mane helped his country win its first title.
Mane broke the deadlock in the 78th minute, firing a powerful shot into the bottom left corner from outside the penalty area after Lamine Kamara’s shot was blocked.
The hosts and 2021 champions will meet in the final in Rabat on Sunday.
