Morocco and South Africa are the two nations that will play in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations for Women (CAN 2022). The Moroccan team reached this level of the competition for the first time in its history after a clean sheet in the penalty shoot-out against the Nigerians.
Morocco-South Africa. This is the poster of the grand final of the Africa Cup of Nations for Women (CAN 2022) which will be played in Rabat, Morocco on Saturday 23 July. This march towards glory is a first for the Moroccan women who dominated Nigeria on Monday 18 July in the semi-finals. With the two teams tied after extra time (1-1), the penalty shoot-out went against the Nigerians, three-time champions and winners of 11 of the previous 13CANs.
The public and the VAR, two major assets of the Atlas Lionesses’ victory.
The Atlas Lionesses were supported by over 45,000 spectators. This support has helped boost the morale of Moroccan women. Two fouls relentlessly spotted by video-assisted refereeing (VAR), ended the Nigerians’ reign. The myth of invincibility was shattered.
A look back at the two sins of the Nigerian Falcons.
After a fairly even first half, everything accelerated in the second half. Just after the break, Halimatu Ayinde was sent off for a challenge on striker Rosella Ayane (48′). In the 71st minute it was winger Rasheedat Ajibade’s turn to be sent off for a challenge on defender Zineb Redouani. This was after another VAR call.
In the meantime, the Nigerians had opened the scoring thanks to an own goal by Yassin Mrabet (62nd), the defender having involuntarily blocked a clearance. But the Lionesses had quickly equalised after a risky clearance by the opposing goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie. The latter sent the ball back to winger Sanaa Mssoudy who only had to equalise from close range (66′).
The match for third place at the African Women’s Cup of Nations (2022) is between Nigeria and Zambia, the two unfortunate semi-finalists.
