Not a good game by the Eagles as they were expected to.
Previously smoking Eagles would have settled the game in regulation time but gladly gave up the tempo of the game to the hot, fiery Moroccans.
The Lions from the Atlas showed they were more interested in advancing to the final than the Eagles who were super from West Africa and naturally, the hungrier team prevailed.
The first few minutes got the Eagles imposing their usual dominating selves on the hosts but suddenly gave up that advantage to resort to sitting back.
Well organized defence got them containing all the pressures and keeping the efforts away for the 120 minutes in regulation time and extra time.
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali had his best tail up in this crucial encounter where his last-man-defence posture kept the rampaging Lions at bay.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi sitting out the all-important game due to card suspension was clearly missed as the Eagles’ midfield was run over by the North Africans.
Ndidi’s replacement Club Brugge star Raphael Onyedika had a night to remember, nightmarish and very uneventful. All his foot wrong in the game he was supposed to make fans forget Ndidi as he would personally rank this game as one of his worst ever.
His yellow card was a full testament he was lost in the game and his eventual substitution would leave him to take a huge stock of himself in the nightmare of a game.
Iwobi’s creative ideas went south, the Moroccan refused to leave him a nanosecond to think and act. Even before the ball got to him, a searching Moroccan leg was lurking to redirect the round leather.
Alex Iwobi lost his staff of office in the midfield, touches were dangerously few and practically no chance for him to lay his killer passes to Osimhen and company. When he did, the Moroccan crowd gladly intercepted the efforts to put the struggling Eagles back in their toes again and again.
Supplies were also non-existent to the attacking line that incredibly was reduced to very poor two shots at goal.
Victor Osimhen fought aimlessly as well Ademola Lookman and Jerome Akor Adams to edge the resolute Lions’ defence but very little supplies condemned them to chasing shadows.
Not even the fast breaks, quick counters Eagles evidently relied on as they gladly gave up the control of the game to the Lions, worked anything to Eagles’ favour. The well organized Moroccan “Air Force” was solidly behind their detailed plans.
Bassey’s accurate attacking-spiced long balls were mostly received by Bright Osayi-Samuel and Akor but the rampaging Lions closed up to make the efforts come to nought.
Lookman didn’t enjoy the rampant Moroccan swoop and the result of it was the Atalanta man dried up with his creativity, Osihmen also suffered it.
Spilling into the extra time, the game didn’t change for the Eagles, the Lions rampaged through but were gamely contained by Bassey and the defence consortium.
The hosts fought frantically not to let the game go into the lottery of penalties as their body languages suggested they were disadvantaged.
Eagles kept their pressure soaking machines running to hope on the lotteries but that was not to be.
When late, late substitute Samuel Chukwueze spurned his chance with a careless kick, Moroccans breathed themselves a fresh life by converting and restoring parity after an earlier Nwabali save.
Bruno Onyemaechi who had chased out top scorer Brahim Diaz out of the game, put a stain on his superb performance by shooting straight into keeper Bono’s hand.
The last kick wasn’t saved by Nwabali but saved the hosts’ blushes to reach the final for the first time in 22 years.
IKENWA ASHIBUOGWU NNABUOGOR
