{"id":1663,"date":"2026-01-15T02:02:50","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T02:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?p=1663"},"modified":"2026-01-15T02:02:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T02:02:52","slug":"senegal-morocco-set-for-afcon-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?p=1663","title":{"rendered":"Senegal, Morocco set for AFCON final"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CASABLANCA <\/strong>\u2013 LAST Wednesday night\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals delivered drama and decisive moments that set up a tantalising final on Sunday, January 18, between Senegal and hosts Morocco.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Tangier, Senegal edged Egypt 1-0 thanks to a late strike from Sadio Man\u00e9, sending the Lions of Teranga back to the final stage of the tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senegal\u2019s path to victory was defined by discipline and tactical balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The midfield, anchored by Pape Gueye and Idrissa Gueye, controlled tempo and transition, while Kalidou Koulibaly marshalled the defence with experience and authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up front, Man\u00e9 once again proved the difference in a tight contest, his composure in the box rewarded with the decisive goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This blend of physicality and tactical awareness has been Senegal\u2019s hallmark throughout the tournament and will be crucial against Morocco\u2019s organised unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the second semi-final in Rabat, hosts Morocco emerged victorious over Nigeria in a tense duel that ended goalless after extra time and was decided on penalties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morocco prevailed 4\u20132 in the shootout, with goalkeeper Yassine Bounou making the key saves and Youssef En-Nesyri converting the decisive spot-kick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morocco\u2019s strength comes from a disciplined spine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In defence, Nayef Aguerd and Achraf Hakimi provide solidity and attacking intent from deep, while in midfield the duo of Bilal El Khannouss and Ismael Saibari combines control with clever distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up front, Ayoub El Kaabi and En-Nesyri offer aerial presence and finishing prowess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morocco\u2019s resilience under pressure \u2014 particularly in front of passionate home support \u2014 will be tested again in the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Nigeria and Egypt, the semi-final exits shift focus to ranking matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the third-place play-off, Nigeria looks strongest to secure third position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Super Eagles reached the semi-final with the tournament\u2019s highest goal tally and boast attacking threats in Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their offensive depth, if fired up again, should see them edge past an Egypt side that \u2014 despite Mohamed Salah\u2019s brilliance \u2014 struggled to break down Senegal\u2019s defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Egypt\u2019s cohesion and tactical structure could nevertheless earn them fourth place if they tighten up at the back and provide Salah with adequate service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead to Sunday\u2019s final, Senegal\u2019s blend of seasoned international stars and physical midfield balance gives them a slight edge, but Morocco\u2019s home advantage and tactical organisation make them formidable contenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should Senegal dictate play through midfield control and quick transitions, they could unsettle Morocco\u2019s structured defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conversely, Morocco\u2019s creative wide play and set-piece threat might tip the scales on home soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a clash of strategy and resilience, fans can expect a fiercely competitive final full of tactical intrigue and high stakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– CAJ News<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CASABLANCA \u2013 LAST Wednesday night\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals delivered drama and decisive moments that set up a tantalising final on Sunday, January 18, between Senegal and hosts Morocco. In Tangier, Senegal edged Egypt 1-0 thanks to a late strike from Sadio Man\u00e9, sending the Lions of Teranga back to the final stage of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1664,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,110,13],"tags":[307],"class_list":["post-1663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football","category-football-sports","category-sports","tag-morocco-celebrate-victory-over-nigeria"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Morocco-celebrate-victory-over-Nigeria-150x150.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Morocco-celebrate-victory-over-Nigeria-300x169.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Morocco-celebrate-victory-over-Nigeria-768x432.jpg","large":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Morocco-celebrate-victory-over-Nigeria-1024x576.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Morocco-celebrate-victory-over-Nigeria.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Morocco-celebrate-victory-over-Nigeria.jpg","post-thumbnail":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Morocco-celebrate-victory-over-Nigeria.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"administrator","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d5ebfe727f13fb325bd400aaaf5e789d3e2e20898883d9ae8e3d3d42d58cef?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"CASABLANCA \u2013 LAST Wednesday night\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals delivered drama and decisive moments that set up a tantalising final on Sunday, January 18, between Senegal and hosts Morocco. In Tangier, Senegal edged Egypt 1-0 thanks to a late strike from Sadio Man\u00e9, sending the Lions of Teranga back to the final stage of […]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["Football","Football","Sports"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":28,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Morocco-celebrate-victory-over-Nigeria.jpg",1296,729,false],"medium":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Morocco-celebrate-victory-over-Nigeria-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Morocco-celebrate-victory-over-Nigeria-150x150.jpg",150,150,true]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"administrator","author_link":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?author=2"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d5ebfe727f13fb325bd400aaaf5e789d3e2e20898883d9ae8e3d3d42d58cef?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"Football<\/a> Football<\/a> Sports<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1663"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1665,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1663\/revisions\/1665"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}