Morocco won their first-ever African Nations Championship title in Casablanca ©CAF

Hosts Morocco put in a stunning performance to beat Nigeria in the final of the African Nations Championship at Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca.

The two teams were fairly evenly matched in the first half but Zakaria Hadraf’s goal on the stroke of half-time saw the Moroccans lead at the break.

Nigeria, third in the 2014 tournament in South Africa, were dealt a huge blow just four minutes after the restart when Peter Eneji was sent-off for a second bookable offence.

Morocco's Ayoub El Kaabi was named the tournament's best player after his goalscoring exploits ©CAF
Morocco's Ayoub El Kaabi was named the tournament's best player after his goalscoring exploits ©CAF

Morocco, who are bidding for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, took advantage of their superior numbers and Walid El Karti doubled their lead in the 61st minute with a header into an empty net after tournament top scorer Ayoub El Kaabi had hit the post with an audacious bicycle kick.

This was the start of the Nigerian collapse and Hadraf doubled his tally for the match just three minutes later to make it 3-0.

El Kaabi, who finished with nine goals in the competition, then completed the rout in the 73rd minute with a well-controlled left-footed finish after Nigeria failed to clear, giving his side their first-ever African Nations Championship title.