Both sides came through tough semifinals on Wednesday evening: Morocco needed extra time to overcome a resilient Libya 3-1 in their North African derby in Casablanca, while Nigeria edged Sudan 1-0 in a hard-fought clash in Marrakech.

The Atlas Lions and the Super Eagles are bidding to become the fourth different winners of the Chan, joining the honours board of DR Congo (champions in 2009 and 2016), Tunisia (2014) and Libya (2014).

Morocco coach Jamal Sellami paid tribute to his team after their victory, which was inspired by a brace from striker Ayoub El Kaabi. He has now netted eight times in this Chan tournament.

“I congratulate my players, who made a great match despite the difficulties they faced,” said Sellami after the clash with Libya.

“We were opposed to an organised selection that caused us a lot of problems.

“The fatigue of the Libyan players has done us a great service,” he admitted. “No matter who our opponent is in the final, what matters is the state of my players.”

As for Nigeria, they have come good on their coach Salisu Yusuf’s promise that they would reach the final of the Chan, with Gabriel Okechukwu’s goal securing victory over Sudan.

“Our target is the trophy, no less,” said the Nigeria coach, who added: “Reaching the final alone will mean history for this team.

“The final of the African Nations Championship beckons and we will go out there with all that we have got.”

In head-to-head statistics, Morocco and Nigeria have met in 12 official matches according to Fifa’s database. Each side has claimed five wins, while two games have been drawn.

The teams’ most recent meeting was in the 2014 edition of the Chan, with the Super Eagles claiming a thrilling 4-3 victory after extra time in the teams’ quarterfinal clash in Cape Town. The West African came from 0-3 down to win the match.

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Source: SuperSport

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Namely, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia and Morocco.

At its meeting on September 23, 2017, CAF Executive Committee decided to complete the process of selecting a new host country for the tournament scheduled for January 2018, within 15 days. After Kenya, the initial host, failed to meet the requirements.

Total CHAN is a competition that brings together 16 national teams made up of players selected in their national championships. The 5th edition is to be held in 2018.

Source: CAF Online

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The match was part of Ghana’s preparations for the upcoming CHAN 2018 qualifier against Burkina Faso in August and the WAFA Tournament in Ghana in September.

Hearts of Oak midfielder, Thomas Abbey, put Ghana in the lead in the 54th minute but Gambia pulled even in the 74th minute through Lamin Jallow.

3 minutes later, Tema Youth’s Joseph Paintsil was fouled for a penalty which was converted by goalkeeper Razak Abalora to give Ghana the win on the day.

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By: Citi Sports Desk

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