South Africa beaters Bryan Mbeumo's Cameroon struggle as Morocco keep alive AFCON dream with convincing win over five-time champions to get semi-final ticket

Morocco defeated Cameroon 2-0 to join Senegal in the semi-final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on going in North Africa.

The hosts came into the match full of motivation and confidence thanks to thousands who had flocked to the stadium to cheer their team to glory.

The Atlas Lions, who last won the continental glory 50 years ago, showed hunger and determination to get victory against the five-time champions, who had some big names like Manchester United winger Bryan Mbeumo.

Cameroon were forced to replace the injured Junior Tchamadeu with Dina Ebimbe just after 24 minutes, which affected their tactical plans.

Two minutes later, Morocco took the lead! They won a corner, and the defenders failed to win the ball, which found its way to Brahim Diaz. The attacker used his ball to guide the ball home, his fifth strike of the tournament, and hand Morocco a deserved lead.

It could have ended 2-0 in favour of Morocco in the first half, but Ayoub El Kaabi just couldn't find the back of the net from a promising position. 

Even after the break, the Indomitable Lions just couldn't match their opponents, no matter how hard they tried, especially in midfield.

Poor marking in the area could have seen Ezzalzouli double his team's advantage in the 60th minute, but despite making good contact with the ball, he failed to guide it into the back of the net with the custodian well beaten.

But 15 minutes later, the Moroccans were cheering wildly as a loose ball in the Cameroon box fell to Ismael Saibari, whose grass-cutter found the bottom right to make it 2-0.

Not even the changes made by coach David Pagou could salvage the 2021 winners, who joined Mali out of the competition.

The Eagles had fallen 1-0 to Senegal in an initial game.

The Atlas Lions started the competition with a deserved 2-0 win over minnows Comoros in Group A, before failing to beat Mali in their second game, which ended 1-1.

It was an easy outing in the third pool game against the 2012 champions, Chipolopolo of Zambia, as Morocco registered a 3-0 victory to top their group with seven points.

In the Round of 16, the North African nation controversially edged out Taifa Stars of Tanzania to make the last eight where they have now beaten Cameroon to advance.

The Indomitable Lions registered a 1-0 victory against Gabon in Group F, followed by a hard-fought 1-1 draw with the defending champions Ivory Coast.

They then had to dig deep in the final group game versus Mozambique to eventually end second in the pool as the Elephants topped it.

In the Round of 16, they faced Group B runners-up South Africa, and they did well to escape with a 2-1 win and make the quarter-final.

However, as fate had it, they fell to the hosts to crash out. 

Morocco will now play the winner between Algeria and Nigeria on Saturday.

Algeria is keen on making a statement after being eliminated in the group stage in the previous two editions, following the 2019 run that saw them crowned winners. 

In the 2025 edition, they started with a 3-0 win over Sudan in Group E, followed by a slim 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso, before beating Equatorial Guinea 3-1 to ensure they collected maximum points. In the Round of 16, they scored a late goal to beat the Democratic Republic of Congo by a solitary goal to make the last eight.

Nigeria have also had a good run in the ongoing edition, where they have managed to get a result against their opponents.

The Super Eagles started with a 2-1 win against Tanzania before another 3-2 victory over Tunisia. Their final group fixture was another three points following a 3-1 scoreline versus Uganda.

Eric Chelle's men did well to beat Mozambique 4-0 in the Round of 16 to make a statement to their rivals, including Algeria.

In the head-to-head record, this will be the 23rd time the two nations will be meeting across all competitions. The Fennec Foxes have 10 wins, Nigeria nine, with the remaining three games ending in a draw.

The two nations have met nine times in AFCON where Algeria have managed four wins as opposed to Nigeria's three, with two ending in a draw.