The Atlas Lions Roar Again: Morocco Ousts Cameroon in AFCON 2025 Quarterfinal

The Atlas Lion Roars Again: Morocco Won the Quarterfinal in the African Cup.

Morocco has finally made it to the event, where it is the host country. They had played four games of football that were sloppy and sloppy.

Finally, in a tense and short-tempered quarterfinal match, the Morocco team played in a manner reminiscent of their performance that led them to the semifinals of the World Cup a little over three years ago. If the game didn't go smoothly, it was mostly Cameroon's fault because they took care of themselves and got treatment. The home team, on the other hand, mostly kept their cool. They defended a lead they had built up with energy in the first half and maturity in the second.

Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman got into a fight during Nigeria's victory over Mozambique.

Victor Osimhen's fiery temper is jeopardising Nigeria's chances of winning the African Cup of Nations.

Morocco won the Cup of Nations fifty years ago and has spent a lot of money on football-related infrastructure as it gets ready to co-host the World Cup in 2030. The excitement of winning the Cup of Nations had led Morocco to appear tense in earlier games. Even during the 1-0 round of sixteen victory over Tanzania, fans booed the coach, Walid Regragui. People thought his football was too conservative, even though he had only lost four of the 46 games he had been responsible for before this quarterfinal. Screens in the stadium displayed pictures sent from the various changing rooms before the game started. Morocco looked serious and deep in thought in these pictures, while Cameroon was singing and dancing.

However, once the game started, there was no sign of the nervousness that had been describing how they played. The huge crowd at the beautiful Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which was a big part of that investment in infrastructure, gave them a lot of energy. They attacked hard from the start of the game, won many corners and free kicks near the box, and Cameroon had to try to stop the game from flowing. It's unfortunate for both players and for Stoke that at least one of their injuries was genuine. Junior Tchamadeu, who plays right wingback, hurt his knee when he tackled Noussair Mazraoui. Ayoub El Kaabi got Morocco's sixth corner of the game, and his absence and the change in the marking system may have played a part. He then went to the back post, where Brahim Díaz scored his fourth goal of the tournament. Ismael Saibari scored the second goal with 16 minutes left by hitting a shot from an angle after a free kick was sent to him at the back post. Another set play caused the second goal to happen.

Cameroon may have won the championship five times, but they probably weren't as excited to be there this time as they had been in the past. This happened because the build-up was so chaotic, with two managers from different teams sending team lists to CAF. In the end, David Pagou, the candidate chosen by Samuel Eto'o, won. Eto'o, who is the president of the federation, won his fight with the sports ministry. Pagou, who is 56 years old and has played in the Cameroonian league, has shown that he is quick-witted and humorous. His speeches at news conferences are as straight as the work of his young, very driven team.

In the quarterfinal match of the Africa Cup of Nations, Ismael Saibari scores the second goal for his team against Cameroon.

Ismael Saibari scores a second goal for his team in the quarterfinal match of the Africa Cup of Nations against Cameroon. The photos come from Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images.

They explained why they chose younger, faster players, which has helped them do better than expected in this tournament. But it looked like they were either completely amazed by the event or totally overwhelmed by how fast and intense Morocco was at first. Most likely, the majority of the teams in this tournament would feel the same way. Regragui used a 4-3-3 formation with the same players he had used against Tanzania. This technique gave wide forwards Díaz and Ez Abde more freedom to move around. They definitely look like they have a more mobile side without Sofyan Amrabat. Maybe being familiar with each other made things flow.

The Moroccan Football Association protested the decision to make the Egyptian Amin Omar the referee for the game on Thursday. Dahane Beida, the Mauritanian referee who was responsible for the final in Côte d'Ivoire two years ago, was only confirmed as the referee for the game on Thursday. Cameroon was angry with Beida for several things, including the late change, but he wasn't the reason they lost. Beida was furious with Cameroon.

The Cup of Nations, which takes place six months before the main tournament for countries that have already qualified for the World Cup, presents both positive and negative perspectives. When you look at it from one angle, it offers a fantastic chance to improve in a very competitive setting. The goodwill that was built up during qualifying can quickly fade away after a few negative games in competition. For example, Tunisia fired Sami Trabelsi last week after they lost to Mali. All it takes is a few negative games in competition.

It seems crazy that Regragui should be under pressure because of his record, but if Morocco doesn't win the Cup of Nations, he might be fired before the World Cup. One person who might be considered for the job is Tarik Sektioui, who led what was basically a B-team to victory in the Arab Cup in December.

Will they win? Morocco could still use a little more goal threat, but this win was very close, which is a big change from their narrow win over Tanzania in the final round. The focus was more on gaining an advantage and maintaining a safe distance from a potentially lethal opponent. They had a lot of power over the game. Suddenly, they appeared capable of winning.

Meanwhile, internal drama hits the Nigeria camp after a heated on-pitch clash. Could the Super Eagles' temper be Morocco's biggest advantage?

Check out our latest blog for the full match analysis, injury updates, and what this match means for Coach Walid Regragui!

Morocco showed maturity and tactical brilliance tonight, taking down five-time champions Cameroon in a 2-0 masterclass. From the electric atmosphere in Rabat to the clinical finishes by Brahim Díaz and Ismael Saibari, the Atlas Lions are proving why they are the team to beat.

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