So the show is over for the Super Eagles. Nigeria’s run at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations came to a heartbreaking end in the semifinals as they were downed by hosts and tournament favourites Morocco on penalties in Rabat. Éric Chelle’s men already know the pain of a shootout defeat, having recently been beaten by underdogs DR Congo in a World Cup qualifying playoff, and this defeat to the Atlas Lions stung just as much.
Nigeria Exits AFCON With Their Heads Held High
Until this point, Nigeria had been one of the stars of the show at AFCON. They stormed through the group stage, picking up a perfect three wins from three, including a riveting 3-2 win against North America-bound Tunisia. From there, the Super Eagles resoundingly knocked off both Mozambique and heavyweights Algeria to punch their tickets to the final four. Despite holding their own against Morocco in the semifinals, the hosts had an ace up their sleeve in the form of penalty-saving specialist goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
The Al-Hilal man saved spotkicks from Samu Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi, providing Youssef En-Nesyri the opportunity to sweep the Moroccans into the final. The Everton-bound striker duly obliged, slotting past Stanley Nwabali to send his side to the final. But while Morocco is indeed the favourite for AFCON glory, online betting sites think that their trip to the upcoming World Cup in the summer will be a much more fruitless endeavour.
The Atlas Lions are positioned as an 80/1 outsider to win the World Cup for the first time later this year, and the use of a high-quality betting tool shows just how far away they are from the tournament favourites.
The popular parlay calculator at Thunderpick shows that while a $10 stake on Morocco would yield some $800 in winnings, the same stake on 8/2 frontrunners Spain – a team Morocco beat in Qatar four years ago – would pay just $45.
Nigeria, of course, won’t be headed to North America following the playoff debacle against DR Congo. However, they did manage to restore plenty of pride in the Super Eagles throughout their run to the semifinals. So, who were the best-performing Nigerians in Morocco this winter? Let’s take a look.
Ademola Lookman
Ever since his spectacular hat trick for Atalanta in the 2024 Europa League final against the previously perfect Bayer Leverkusen, Ademola Lookman has transformed into a superstar. His dazzling brilliance was on display once more at AFCON as the former Everton man netted three goals and provided a further four assists, propelling the Super Eagles to the semifinals for the third time in four tournaments.
His brilliance shone in the 3-2 group stage thriller against Tunisia, with Lookman netting once and assisting two more to secure Man of the Match honours against Nigeria’s toughest opponent in Group C.
The 28-year-old dazzled further with a stunning strike versus Tanzania and an attacking masterclass in the 4-0 rout of Mozambique, in which he scored and created chance after chance for striker Victor Osimhen.
In the semis, Lookman’s brilliance would dry up against a heavily favoured Morocco team, but not before he further cemented his legacy as arguably Africa’s best player on current form.
Victor Osimhen
Victor Osimhen roared back to form at AFCON 2025, netting 4 goals and adding 2 assists across 6 matches, further closing in on Nigeria’s all-time scoring record. He headed into the tournament under a cloud of scepticism after injuries wrecked the first half of his 2025/26 season.
Those injury woes cost the Super Eagles massively in World Cup qualifying, but the Galatasaray hitman proved once again that when fit and firing, there are few better strikers in world football.
Throughout the group stage, Osimhen came in for criticism for his poor attitude, despite the Super Eagles romping to top spot in Group C. Those concerns came to a head in the 4-0 drubbing of Mozambique in the second round as the striker and the aforementioned Lookman seemingly clashed on the field.
Both men played down the incident postgame before Osimhen responded emphatically in the quarterfinals, scoring the opener and assisting another as Nigeria knocked out Algeria.
Unfortunately, the Super Eagles’ main man was unable to provide further heroics against Morocco in the semifinals as he and his team bravely bowed out.
Wilfried Ndidi
Wilfried Ndidi anchored Nigeria’s midfield with authority at AFCON 2025, playing five matches despite suspension issues. The Besiktas man was his typical dominating presence in the centre of the park, breaking up attacks, dictating tempo, and ensuring that his team remained solid in transition.
The Super Eagles conceded just four goals in the tournament – none of them coming in the knockout round – and much of that was down to their destroyer in midfield.
A slew of yellow cards throughout the tournament meant that Ndidi missed the semifinal against Morocco, and it was his absence that was felt most as his side was beaten on penalties.
Had the former Leicester City man been wearing the captain’s armband and continuing to dominate in midfield, things may well have been different, and Nigeria could well have claimed the title for the first time since 2013. Instead, both Ndidi and his countrymen were left thinking of what might have been.
