Morocco vs Nigeria: Super Eagles see Rabat as a happy hunting ground

 By Editor

The Super Eagles are excited and happy that the semifinal game against hosts, Morocco, is billed for the city of Rabat.

The only time Nigeria and Morocco senior national teams have clashed in Morocco’s administrative capital, Rabat, Nigeria dug their feet into the ground to earn a scoreless draw, win the ensuing penalty shootout, and secure qualification to the 14th Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cote d’Ivoire.

Date was Saturday, 28th August 1983. Two weeks earlier, in Benin City, both teams had ended the first leg match 0-0. The return leg took place in Rabat, with Coach Adegboye Onigbinde making a number of changes to the squad that featured in Benin City.

Goalkeeper Peter Rufai came in for Wilfred Agbonavbare, and Kingsley Paul, Amos Edoseghe, Anthony Edward, Wole Odegbami, and Sunday Daniel came in for Charles Osuji, Henry Nwosu, Rafiu Yusuf, Dehinde Akinlotan, and Tarila Okorowanta.

Coach José ‘Mehdi’ Faria, the Brazilian minder of the Atlas Lions, stuck to his regular group, including goalkeeper Badou Ezzaki, Mustapha El Haddaoui, Abdelaziz Bouderbala, Mohamed Timoumi, Abdelmajid Lamriss, Mustapha El Biyaz, Noureddine Bouyahyaoui, and Khaled Labied. A closely-fought battle ended 0-0, necessitating a penalty shootout.

Nigeria won 4-3 to qualify for the AFCON finals in Cote d’Ivoire, where she emerged runner-up.

As the Super Eagles file out to the turf of the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Wednesday, they will remember they have never lost a match to the Lions in Rabat.

Yekini’s record on the brink. Iwobi closes in on a century of caps  

Two goals against the Atlas Lions on Wednesday will put Victor James Osimhen at par with Nigeria’s revered ‘goalsfather’ Rashidi Yekini in the number of goals scored for the Nigeria national team at the senior level. The Galatasaray of Turkey forward has 35 goals in 51 matches, while ‘Goalsfather’ netted 37 times in his 58 matches for the country.

At just 27 years of age and at the peak of his powers, Osimhen is easily tipped to score many more goals for Nigeria, effectively breaking the record set by the gangling poacher of blessed memory. At the time Yekini passed on 4th May 2012, Osimhen’s name was yet to come into reckoning at the international level.

He rang his bell to the universal audience in 2015, when he emerged top scorer (with 10 goals) and the second most valuable player of the FIFA U17 World Cup tournament that Nigeria won in Chile that year.

History beckons on the former SSC Napoli forward on Wednesday night, as the 90-minute battle, for which he will have Alex Iwobi, Akor Adams, and Ademola Lookman providing valuable support, offers him the opportunity to equal the great man’s tally.

Iwobi, who has been extraordinary at this AFCON, is set to win his 96th cap for the country, taking him closer to the century-mark of former captain Joseph Yobo and former goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who garnered 101. Ahmed Musa remains the man-with-the-record at 111 caps.   

SUPER EAGLES, ATLAS LIONS IN HISTORY

16 Nov 1963: Nigeria 3-0 Morocco (Olympic Gamesq: Lagos)

08 Mar 1964: Morocco 4-1 Nigeria (Olympic Gamesq: Casablanca)

26 Mar 1964: Morocco 2-1 Nigeria (Olympic Gamesq: Dakar)

21 Sep 1969: Morocco 2-1 Nigeria (FIFA WCq: Casablanca)

08 Nov 1969: Nigeria 2-0 Morocco (FIFA WCq: Ibadan)

20 Feb 1972: Nigeria 3-0 Morocco (Friendly: Lagos)

06 Mar 1976: Morocco 3-1 Nigeria (AFCON: Dire Dawa)

11 Mar 1976: Morocco 2-1 Nigeria (AFCON: Addis Ababa)

03 Apr 1976: Nigeria 3-1 Morocco (Olympic Gamesq: Lagos)

18 Apr 1976: Morocco 1-0 Nigeria (Olympic Gamesq: Tangier)

19 Mar 1980: Nigeria 1-0 Morocco (AFCON semi: Lagos)

14 Aug 1983: Nigeria 0-0 Morocco (AFCONq: Benin City)

28 Aug 1983: Morocco 0-0 Nigeria (AFCONq: Rabat) – Nigeria win 4-3 after penalties

11 Feb 1984: Nigeria 0-0 Morocco (Olympic Gamesq: Lagos)

26 Feb 1984: Morocco 0-0 Nigeria (Olympic Gamesq: Casablanca) – Morocco win 4-3 after penalties

12 Dec 1996: Morocco 2-0 Nigeria (Friendly: Casablanca)

03 Feb 2000: Nigeria 2-0 Morocco (AFCON: Lagos)

27 Jan 2004: Morocco 1-0 Nigeria (AFCON: Monastir)

25 Jan 2014: Morocco 3-4 Nigeria (CHAN: Cape Town)

04 Feb 2018: Morocco 4-0 Nigeria (CHAN Final: Casablanca)