Morocco beats Nigeria on penalties to reach Africa Cup of Nations final vs. Senegal

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Youssef El-Nesyri scored the winning penalty and Yassine “Bono” Bounou saved two as Morocco advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations final with a 4-2 win on penalties over Nigeria on Wednesday.

Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali saved one but was bettered by Bono in the shootout after the teams drew 0-0 with extra time in front of 65,458 mostly Morocco fans in Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

The host nation set up a title match in the same stadium Sunday with 2021 champion Senegal, which defeated Egypt 1-0 the other semifinal earlier in Tangier.

Morocco is bidding for its first title since its only success in 1976 and tickets for the decider are likely to command steep prices.

There were reports before Wednesday’s game that tickets with a face value of 300-500 dirhams ($32-42) for the semifinal were going for as much as 7,000 dirhams ($760) or more on the black market.

It was easy to tell which team was in possession from the deafening chorus of fans’ whistles any time a Nigeria player had the ball.

Calvin Bassey was the first to receive the home fans’ piercing welcome when he took a walk out alone on the field before the match. He responded with a huge smile.

Morocco went close with the early chances with Semi Ajayi producing a brilliant block to stop Ismael Saibari. Brahim Díaz whipped a shot past the far post and then tried riling up the already riled crowd.

Bassey was booked for a tactical foul outside the penalty box, which would have ruled him out of the final with a suspension if the Super Eagles made it. Instead he'll miss the unpopular third-place decider against Egypt in Casablanca on Saturday.

Ademola Lookman had Nigeria’s only shot on target — too close to Bono in the Morocco goal after some fine team play. Ultimately, there was too little of that from the Super Eagles.

Morocco had 16 shots, five on target, with Díaz, Ayoub El Kaabi and Achraf Hakimi all enjoying good chances. Nigeria held on to get the game to the shootout, where Bono saved from Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi to set up El-Nesyri for the winner.

AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations

Morocco's head coach Walid Regragui reacts after winning the penalty shootout during the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final match between Nigeria and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Morocco players celebrate after winning after a penalty shootout during the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final match between Nigeria and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Nigeria's Alex Iwobi , left, and Morocco's Brahim Abdelkader Díaz fight for the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final match between Nigeria and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Morocco's Achraf Hakimi, left, and Brahim Abdelkader Díaz celebrate after winning the penalty shootout during the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final match between Nigeria and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Morocco players celebrate after winning after a penalty shootout during the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final match between Nigeria and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — You’ve done something special when Torii Hunter, a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner known for his acrobatic catches, calls what you just did “probably the greatest defensive game I’ve ever seen.”

That was the praise Hunter heaped on the Los Angeles Angels' Jo Adell after the right fielder made three homer-robbing catches, the last a spectacular leaping grab while crashing into the seats near the right-field foul pole in the ninth inning, in a 1-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night.

“I’ve never seen three home run robberies in one game, and I’ve never seen a guy on the third one fall into the stands, catch the ball and keep his feet in like he’s a wide receiver,” said the 50-year-old Hunter, a special assistant to the general manager who watched the game from the bench. “I was jumping up and down. I almost passed out.”

Adell, who struggled on defense for several years before transforming into a Gold Glove finalist in 2024, leaped high above the yellow line on the wall in straight-way right field to deny Cal Raleigh of a solo homer in the first inning, and made a nearly identical catch to against Josh Naylor in the eighth.

J.P. Crawford then led off the ninth with a drive toward the right-field corner, where Adell raced toward the ball, leaped to glove it, flipped over the low wall and fell into the first row of seats before holding his glove up to present the catch, which was upheld after a replay review.

“After the first one, I was pretty fired up,” Adell said. “When I got to the second one, which looked identical to the first, I thought, ‘Wow, my routes are on point tonight.’ The third one was just grit. Top of the ninth, you have to get it done. It was crazy.

“You just get there, then it’s decision-making. The ball was hit high enough to where I could get there. I watched it (into my glove), fell over and ended up in somebody’s lap. I don’t know who it was, but it was a softer landing than I expected. The fans were as fired up as me.”

According to Inside Edge, Adell has 10 home run robberies since 2020, tied with Kyle Tucker of the Dodgers for the most in the big leagues. The outfielders with the most home run robberies in the entire 2025 season were Jacob Young of the Nationals and Fernando Tatis of the Padres. Both had four.

This was believed to be the first time in baseball history a player has robbed three homers in one game.

“It was like a movie scene,” Hunter said about Adell’s third catch. “It was like the music was playing, then he caught the ball, then he went down and we didn’t see him anymore. The music paused, he came up and said, ‘Yeah!’ I started cheering and almost blacked out.”

Hunter, the former Minnesota Twins, Angels and Detroit Tigers star, has worked extensively with Adell on defense during the past few years.

“His impact has been huge,” Adell said. “It’s mental when you’re out there — it’s a mindset of going to get the baseball, being aggressive. Early, I was caught in between on some plays, and sometimes that happens.

“When you err on the side of being aggressive and trying to make the plays, you’d be surprised at how many plays you make. That’s the mindset Torii had all those years, winning all those Gold Gloves.”

P MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Angels left fielder Jo Adell (7) jumps up to catch a ball hit by Seattle Mariners' Josh Naylor (12) during the eighth inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe (14) and left fielder Jo Adell (7) embrace at the end of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Los Angeles Angels Jo Adell (7) is greeted by teammates at the end of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Los Angeles Angels left fielder Jo Adell (7) catches a ball hit by Seattle Mariners' J.P. Crawford during the ninth inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Los Angeles Angels left fielder Jo Adell (7) catches a ball hit by Seattle Mariners' J.P. Crawford during the ninth inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)