Morocco delivers tournament triumph

The reviews are in, and they are unanimous. The Africa Cup of Nations, set to conclude with Sunday’s final, has proved an overwhelming success.

The stadiums? A+. The organization? Thumbs up. The on-pitch product? Ten out of ten.

By just about every measure, host nation Morocco has delivered a continental football triumph. If there were any doubts regarding its ability to stage World Cup matches in 2030, they’ve been sent to their room, scolded for their audacity and put thoroughly to bed.

Yes, a transportation solution to Agadir, some 500 kilometres south of Casablanca, will have to be found as its stadium exceeded half its capacity just twice over the past month. But that’s just nitpicking.

On the whole, Morocco has pulled off an organizational masterclass, and it has the documentation to prove it. On Thursday, regional rival Egypt sent a letter to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation praising its handling of the Cup of Nations. Enough said.

Naturally, the tournament’s vibes have hardly been dulled by the hosts’ performance.

Since finishing atop its group, Morocco has won three knock-out matches without conceding. As a reward, its Atlas Lions will face 2021 champion Senegal in the final (Sunday, 1 p.m., beIN Sports) — the first it will contest in 22 years.

Head coach Walid Regragui was part of the team which lost that 2004 final to Tunisia. Ahead of Wednesday’s semifinal against Nigeria he remarked that Morocco’s fourth-place finish at the 2022 World Cup, while impressive, needed to be followed up by an AFCON victory that would “make history.”

Nigeria proceeded to dominate large portions of the subsequent showdown, but its immensely talented squad — perhaps the most balanced in recent times — simply couldn’t break down an opponent whose steely resolve was the difference over the initial 90 minutes, then the half-hour of extra time and finally penalties.

Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou’s denial of Bruno Onyemaechi’s spot-kick with his go-go-gadget arms will be a matter of Moroccan football lore for years to come, but this is a side that always seems to find a hero for the moment.

More often than not it’s been Brahim Diaz. The Real Madrid attacker scored in all three Group A encounters, and his goals against Tanzania in the round of 16 and Cameroon in the quarterfinals were both game-winners.

In defence, Marseille centre-back Nayef Aguerd has been imperious, and Paris Saint-Germain right-back Achraf Hakimi is rounding into form after starting the Cup of Nations on the injured list.

Given the strength of its team and feat of its AFCON hospitality, it goes without saying that Morocco is under extraordinary pressure to lift the trophy on Sunday.

That will suit Senegal nicely, as over the last six or seven years it has been Africa’s pre-eminent footballing enterprise.

Losing finalists in 2019, it beat Egypt to win the 2021 tournament and is back for a third final in four Cup of Nations installments. In the other, it was ousted on penalties by eventual 2023 champion Ivory Coast.

Pick a scenario — these Lions of Teranga can win in any number of ways.

Through six combined group stage and knockout matches only Nigeria has found the back of the net more often. That said, no Senegalese player has tallied more than twice. This team gets offence from everyone, even if the attacking trio of Sadio Mané, Nicolas Jackson and Cherif Ndiaye has yet to fully gel. That’s scary.

Senegal’s defence is similarly formidable. It has given up just two goals at this tournament and kept Mohamed Salah and Egypt off the scoreboard in the semifinal. Its only concern this weekend is the status of captain and centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, who went off injured against The Pharaohs.

A Senegal victory would surprise precisely no one, and it would not dilute the success of the event.

Morocco has given African football something very special these last few weeks, but it will nevertheless feel it’s all a bit empty without a home win to cap it off. That’s fair. The combination of expectation with a match between two generational teams should at least provide a remarkable final.

In the long run, however, the legacy of this tournament will be less about its victor than its achievement. This Cup of Nations has set a standard. And for that, it gets five stars.

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