Morocco bury hosts curse
Cup of cheers. Morocco’s Badr Banoun holds up the trophy with teammates as they celebrate after winning the final football match of the African Nations Championship against Nigeria at the Mohammed V Casablanca Stadium on Sunday. AFP PHOTO
What you need to know:
- Soccer. Ayoub el Kaabi scored his ninth goal of the 2018 African Nations Championship (Chan) as Morocco became the first hosts to triumph by thrashing 10-man Nigeria 4-0 on Sunday.
KAMPALA.
For Uganda, the 2018 African Nations Championship (Chan) might have ended long ago. But back in Morocco, it was party night on Sunday.
From now on, Morocco will not only be on record for winning the home-based players’ tournament. The Atlas Lions will go down in history as being the first host nation to ever win this championship since its inauguration in 2009.
Ivory Coast, Sudan, South Africa and Rwanda have all hosted banking on home support to win this event, but have all failed. Enter Morocco and the hosts, who replaced Kenya after the East Africans failed to beat the deadline to hold the event, did not only win the championship, they did it in impeccable fashion, dismissing Nigeria 4-0 in the final on Sunday. Let us look back at hosts’ performances.
Chan 2018 Morocco
The Moroccans swept Guinea and Mauritania initially, only drawing goalless with Sudan in the final group game when they had already qualified. Namibia were no match for Morocco in the last eight, the hosts winning 2-0. It is 2014 champions, Libya that stretched them in the semis before the Moroccans prevailed 3-1 after extra time to storm the final. But the Lions of the Atlas were brutal in the final, thrashing 10-man Nigeria 4-0 in Casablanca to become the first host nation to win the championship.
Chan 2016 Rwanda
The hosts won two of their three group matches to qualify for the quarterfinals, where they were ejected by champions DRC. Ivory Coast, Morocco and Gabon were the other pool-mates.
Chan 2014 South Africa
Bafana Bafana could only manage a third place finish in a group that included quarterfinalists Mali, Mozambique and losing finalists Nigeria after posting one victory, a loss and draw. They never qualified for the next two. Actually, apart from this which they hosted, they have never qualified for Chan from the field of play.
Chan 2011 Sudan
Topped their group that included Algeria, Gabon and Uganda on seven points, going on to eliminate Niger in the last eight before falling to Angola in the semifinals via spot kicks. The hosts, however, went on to beat Algeria 1-0 to finish third, the best place for any hosts before Sunday.
Chan 2009 Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast finished last in their group, drawing one match and losing the others. DRC won this championship.
LIST OF CHAN WINNERS
2018: Morocco
2016: DRC
2014: Libya
2011: Tunisia
2009: DRC
