Nigeria vs Morocco: Ghana’s top referee is a disgrace, but Bassey should be applauded

The Super Eagles lost another AFCON semifinal clash after losing on penalties to hosts Morocco in a boring match between the two African giants. 

The two sides were arguably the best teams coming into the game, but it was a match with few opportunities. Although the Atlas Lions were slightly the better side, they did not create enough to win the game inside 120 minutes

Nonetheless, they emerged victorious on penalties, with Youssef En-Nesyri scoring the winning spot kick. However, while Morocco deserved the win on the balance of play, it was the officiating that dominated the headlines. 

Pulse Sports Managing Editor, Joba Ogunwale, takes a look at the performance of the referee and other talking points from the game. 

When it was revealed that Ghanaian referee Daniel Nii Ayi LARYEA would be the centre referee for the match, concerns were raised about his ability to handle a game of such magnitude. 

Although second-guessing a referee’s decision-making before the match does not help anyone, Nigerian fans were right to express their doubt over Laryea’s ability. 

Not because of his nationality, but because he showed that the occasion was indeed too big for him. Every call he made was in favour of the Moroccans, and that affected the Super Eagles' performance, even though the decisions did not have a direct effect on the game. 

His first gaffe of the game was giving Calvin Bassey a yellow card for a foul on Brahim Diaz, but replays showed that it was the Real Madrid star who pulled theSuper Eagles defender’s shirt. 

The decision should have gone in Nigeria’s favour, so it was surprising to see him penalise Bassey and then hand him a yellow card. 

Yes, it was expected that the hosts would have some 50-50 decisions in their favour because of the home advantage, but Laryea’s officiating was a disgrace to African football. 

Wilfred Ndidi was always going to be a big miss, but Raphael Onyedika was supposed to be an effective replacement. The Club Brugge man impressed in the 3-1 win over Uganda in the group stage, scoring twice after finally getting his chance. 

However, he was out of his depth tonight, as the occasion was too big for him. He was careless with the ball and gave away possession on numerous occasions. 

His decision-making was also lacking tonight, as he could not handle the Moroccans ever-present pressing. In fairness, it is hard to blame him because he was slotted into a position where he did not fit. 

Onyedika was a direct replacement for Ndidi, but he functions better as a controller, which is not what Ndidi does on the team. 

Although Chelle’s reason for giving him that role is understandable, it exposed the former Midtjylland man today. 

Nigeria’s attack has been the team’s biggest strength coming into the match, but it failed to click tonight. The trio of Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams had nine goals coming into this game, but could not make their work their magic around Morocco’s defence. 

Although they were not offered quality services, they also did not do enough with the little they got. 

Adams, especially, had moments where his final ball was lacking, while the link-up play between Osimhen and Lookman was nonexistent. 

The three had just one shot between them tonight, which highlighted their struggles in front of goal. 

Calvin Bassey is a rock 

If the attack failed to click, then credit should be given to the defence, especially Bassey, who had his best game of the tournament. 

The Fulham defender could have been demoralised after receiving that unfair yellow card, but it did not let the decision affect him. He did not put a foot wrong and did not allow Ayoub El Kaabi a sniff at goal. 

He dealt with everything the Moroccans threw at Nigeria, making a whopping 13 clearances, three interceptions and eight recoveries. 

It was indeed a man-of-the-match display for the former Rangers man. A shame he was on the losing end.