Noussair Mazraoui shines as Morocco reach AFCON final with rare Man Utd milestone in sight

Noussair Mazraoui could still return to Manchester United as an AFCON champion after Morocco beat Nigeria 4-2 on penalties.

After a month of competitive action for Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations, the host nation has reached the final, which is great news for Manchester United full-back Noussair Mazraoui.

There were few real openings in normal time, with only half-chances for either side. Both teams were guilty of lacking quality in attack.

The game was goalless after extra time, so it had to be penalties to decide the next finalist.

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Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved two spot kicks, while Nigeria stopper Stanley Nwabali denied Hamza Igamane with the first save of the shootout.

The winning penalty was scored by Youssef En Nesyri as Morocco sought their first continental title in 50 years.

Morocco will now face Senegal in Sunday’s eagerly awaited final, with Bryan Mbeumo wishing Mazraoui the best after Cameroon were eliminated from the competition in the previous rounds.

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Noussair Mazraoui’s solid performance against Nigeria

Mazraoui was responsible for a solid display at left back for Morocco, although it was a game with lots of quality defending, which may explain why there wasn’t any quality attacking football to talk about.

Fulham’s Calvin Bassey was among the best players on the pitch because of his defensive display for Nigeria, but Mazraoui was part of a solid back four.

It was a long night for Mazraoui as he played 120 minutes and touched the ball 108 times.

The United full-back made 11 defensive contributions throughout the game, as well as four tackles, six clearances, seven recoveries and one interception. He also won 79% of his ground duels.

Offensively, Mazraoui only managed to touch the ball in the Nigeria box on one occasion.

It was a disciplined display for the United star as Morocco kept a clean sheet for the fifth time at the tournament.

Morocco have only conceded one goal since AFCON began in late December, with that goal coming in a 1-1 draw against Mali.

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Mazraoui can now become the third player to play for United who has won the AFCON, if Morocco win on Sunday. The others include Eric Bailly and Eric Djemba-Djemba.

When does Noussair Mazraoui return to Man Utd?

United fans knew that Mazraoui would miss the Manchester derby on Saturday regardless of the result Morocco got against Nigeria.

That is because at they would have had to play in Saturday’s third-place play-off had they lost to Nigeria.

Instead, Mazraoui will be competing in the AFCON final against Senegal on Sunday, January 18.

While he will miss the Manchester derby, Mazraoui should be available for the club’s Premier League clash with Arsenal on Sunday, January 25.

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