AFCON: Nigerian Man Lists 3 Reasons Super Eagles Lost to Morocco in Semi-finals
- A Nigerian football fan explained why he believed the Nigeria's Super Eagles lost to Morocco's Atlas Lions at AFCON
- He criticised Victor Osimhen’s substitution and questioned the decision to allow a late substitute take a penalty
- The fan also blamed the lack of Nigerian supporters in the stadium, suggesting it affected the team’s confidence
A Nigerian football fan has shared his reasons why Nigeria's Super Eagles lost to Morocco's Atlas Lions at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
In a video shared on TikTok, the man, with the username @yourbodymechanic, explained what he believed went wrong during Nigeria's semi-final match against the host nation on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
Source: TikTok
According to him, one major mistake was the decision to substitute star striker Victor Osimhen before the match ended. However, the Super Eagles' coach, Eric Chelle, stated that Victor had sustained a minor ankle injury, leading to his substitution by Paul Onuachu.
Why did Super Eagles lose to Morocco?
Regardless of the coach's statement, the TikToker said Osimhen should have stayed on the pitch because penalty kicks were expected. The man explained that Osimhen is experienced and could have taken one of the penalties. He believed removing him showed that the team was not prepared for a penalty shootout.
For his second reason, he said:
"you see say the person wey come play wey lost that penalty, eh? How you go bring somebody come inside match when it's about two minutes to ending of the game, eh? Come make that person go play penalty. What were you expecting? Of course, e go lose penalty, e go lose penalty. E go lose am."
The third reason he mentioned was the large number of Moroccan supporters in the stadium. He said there were very few Nigerian fans present, while the stadium was filled with Moroccan supporters wearing red and white.
Source: Getty Images
The man wondered whether Nigerian fans were unable to travel to Morocco due to visa issues. He suggested that the lack of Nigerian supporters may have affected the team’s confidence during the match.
Despite his criticism, the fan praised the Super Eagles for their effort.
Watch the video below:
Reactions trail Nigeria vs. Morocco match viewpoint
Legit.ng collected reactions from TikTok users who watched the video. Some of the comments are below.
_Rammy_ said:
"That changes he made at that point was really unnecessary. Why take Victor off?"
Kapuya Barkisu commented:
"Not all players can play penalty; it takes a good coach to know this."
Briziiii stated:
"Boss, your last reason weak me oooo. I wish I could like this video one million times."
Abenacarma said:
"The goalkeeper sef tried sha…if not, there wouldn’t even have been a penalty."
AFCON: Did bias affect Nigeria's semi-final loss?
Legit.ng had earlier reported that a Nigerian football fan accused match officials of bias after Nigeria lost to Morocco on penalties in the AFCON semi-final.
He criticised referee Daniel Nii Laryea’s decisions, citing incidents he believed unfairly favoured the host nation.
The fan urged Nigeria to host a future AFCON, arguing home advantage was key to winning the tournament.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
