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Marrakech – Morocco’s women’s national football team received a message of congratulations from King Mohammed VI following their performance at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), where they reached the final before suffering a 3-2 defeat to Nigeria.
In his message, the sovereign expressed that he followed “with great pride” the national team’s brilliant journey in the 2024 WAFCON, which culminated in a place in the final of this continental championship. He noted that Morocco hosted the tournament “with warm hospitality and excellent organization, worthy of the Kingdom and its guests.”
The king praised the “exemplary competitive spirit and high sense of patriotism” demonstrated by the members of the women’s national team throughout the championship, as well as their “firm determination to consacrate the strong presence of Moroccan football at continental and international levels, and to represent national women’s sports appropriately.”
The monarch also commended the efforts of all those who contributed to this achievement, including players, technical, medical, and administrative staffs, while assuring them of his “high solicitude and benevolence” as they continue their sporting careers.
The match, played at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat on Saturday evening, saw the Atlas Lionesses take an early lead with Ghizlane Chebbak scoring in the 13th minute, followed by Sanaa Mssoudy adding a second goal in the 24th minute.
Prior to the final, Morocco had topped Group A after drawing with Zambia (2-2) and securing victories against DR Congo (4-2) and Senegal (1-0). They reached the final by defeating Mali in the quarter-finals (3-1) and Ghana in the semi-finals (4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw following extra time).
The Moroccan team, coached by former Spain manager Jorge Vilda, were not considered the favorites for this continental competition, especially against Nigeria, who held nine African championship titles prior to this match.
The turning point came in the second half when Nigeria scored three goals to overtake Morocco. Esther Okoronkwo converted a penalty in the 64th minute, Folashade Florence Ijamilusi equalized in the 71st minute, and Jennifer Echegini scored the winning goal near the end of regulation time (88th minute).
This marks the second consecutive WAFCON final appearance for Morocco, following their 2022 final against South Africa. With this victory, Nigeria has now secured an impressive 10 titles in 13 editions of the tournament.
During the match, the Nigerian team displayed remarkable resilience to overcome a two-goal deficit. While Morocco started strongly with intense pressing and effective transitional play, Nigeria managed to maintain possession despite creating few dangerous opportunities in the first half.
The second half saw Nigeria present a completely different approach, led by an outstanding performance from Esther Okoronkwo.
After Nigeria equalized, Morocco thought they would regain the lead when they were awarded a penalty for a handball in the Nigerian penalty area, but the video assistant referee controversially intervened to overturn the decision.
The controversial call against Morocco denied the Atlas Lionesses a deserved penalty that could have changed the course of the match.
This contentious refereeing decision clearly affected the Moroccan team’s morale and energy, leading to Nigeria’s third goal shortly afterward.
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