George Aluo
Home Super Eagles head coach, Salisu Yusuf says nothing but the trophy would be good enough as his s wards battle Morocco in today’s CHAN 2018 final.
Yusuf sounding very confident ahead of the match said yesterday that his target is the trophy.
“Our target is the trophy, no less,” were Yusuf’s words, even as he added that having made history by reaching the final, his boys will go all the way and return to Nigeria with the title insisting that Morocco is beatable.
It would be noted that both Nigeria and Morocco came through tough semifinals on Wednesday. Morocco needed extra time to overcome a resilient Libya 3-1 in their North African derby in Casablanca, while Nigeria edged Sudan 1-0 in a hard-fought clash in Marrakech.
The Atlas Lions and the Super Eagles are bidding to become the fourth different winners of the Chan, joining the honours board of DR Congo (champions in 2009 and 2016), Tunisia (2014) and Libya (2014).
Morocco coach Jamal Sellami paid tribute to his team after their victory, which was inspired by a brace from striker Ayoub El Kaabi. He has now netted eight times in the Chan tournament.
“I congratulate my players, who made a great match despite the difficulties they faced,” said Sellami after the clash with Libya.
“We were opposed to an organised selection that caused us a lot of problems.
“The fatigue of the Libyan players has done us a great service,” he admitted. “No matter who our opponent is in the final, what matters is the state of my players.”
In head-to-head statistics, Morocco and Nigeria have met in 12 official matches according to Fifa’s database. Each side has claimed five wins, while two games have been drawn.
The teams’ most recent meeting was in the 2014 edition of the Chan, with the Super Eagles claiming a thrilling 4-3 victory after extra time in the teams’ quarterfinal clash in Cape Town. The Eagles came from 0-3 down to win the match.