AFCON 2025: Nigeria through to semi-final after defeating Algeria 2-0 in Marrakesh
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Osimhen and Adams fire Super Eagles in the AFCON 2025 final four
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has been a thrilling spectacle, and now only four teams remain, with Nigeria becoming the latest to secure their spot in the semi-finals, which will take place on January 14.
The Super Eagles confirmed our AFCON 2025 predictions by defeating one of the pre-tournament favourites, Algeria, 2-0 at the Stade de Marrakesh last night, with Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams scoring inside 15 minutes of the second half.
Eric Chelle’s side dominated the match from the opening whistle. Ademola Lookman, who has been the team’s best player in this competition, was a menace throughout the first half and had a couple of good chances to give his side the lead, but was denied by Luca Zidane and a stunning block by Rayan Ait-Nouri.
However, the three-time champions were not to be denied in the second half, as they came out firing and took the lead inside two minutes of the restart, with Bruno Onyemaechi picking out Osimhen with a pinpoint cross that the Galatasaray striker dispatched beyond Zidane.
As the Desert Warriors pushed more players into attack in an attempt to find the leveller, Alex Iwobi pounced on a loose pass from Rany Bensebaini and unleashed Osimhen, who unselfishly put Adams through on goal, and the Sevilla striker made no mistake with his finish.
Vladimir Petkovic attempted a final roll of the dice with a triple substitution in the closing stages, but the Super Eagles tightened up defensively and never really looked in danger of being breached, as they saw out the match to book their spot in the final four.
Chaos breaks out between teams after final whistle in Marrakesh
After Algeria went two goals down in Marrakesh last night, tensions began to rise as the North African outfit tried to find a goal to close the deficit. Tackles in midfield began flying in, and the referee struggled to maintain control as protests from both teams and their benches began to mount.
Those tensions reached a boiling point in stoppage time, when Rafik Belghali smashed into Moses Simon during a tackle, which caused both benches to empty, with players pushing and shouting at each other moments before the final whistle.
Unfortunately, things did not get any better after the final whistle blasted, with players from both sides continuing heated exchanges, forcing officials and coaching staff to try to intervene in what was a disappointing end to a high-quality matchup.
The situation was eventually brought under control, but the closing moments underlined exactly what the Africa Cup of Nations means to those participating in it. Nigeria will now look forward to their clash against Morocco, while Egypt face Senegal in a 2021 AFCON final rematch on January 14.
