Morocco coach Walid Regragui has shed light on his team's tactical approach in containing Nigeria during their penalty shootout win on Wednesday night, revealing how the Super Eagles' key playmaker Alex Iwobi was effectively blocked..

Although Iwobi has not recorded an assist since the Super Eagles’ opening match against Tanzania, the Fulham midfielder played an influential role in the build-up to most of the goals scored by the three-time African champions before the semifinals.

Nigeria's experienced players Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon, Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Semi Ajayi were all on the pitch during the shootout but none of them stepped up to take a penalty, but the Atlas Lions managed the shootout better, winning 4-2 with Youssef En-Nesyri scoring their fifth penalty.

Against the Atlas Lions, the Super Eagles, the tournament’s highest-scoring side with 14 goals from seven different players, altered their approach to adopt a more defensive stance.

Eric Chelle’s team struggled going forward, with their star forwards, Osimhen and Lookman, largely starved of service.

When asked at the post-match press conference how he contained Nigeria, Regragui told reporters: "Tactically, we cannot divulge everything. The idea was to block their playmaker Iwobi and he was trying to look for through passes to Osimhen and Lookman.

"It was a bit complicated because it required a lot of energy. We had to increase our intensity, track back consistently, recover loose balls from poor passes, and then transition quickly to attack."

Regragui highlighted that the approach was particularly effective on Achraf Hakimi's side of the pitch. 

"We did that a few times, especially on Achraf Hakimi's side, because Mazraoui is right-footed, so we couldn't create more chances there. Today, we had a complete game. For some players, I doff my heart to them."

Nigeria will face Egypt in Saturday's third place playoff at the Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel