Two records were broken on Wednesday at the end of the AFCON 2025 semi-final between Morocco and Nigeria. Achraf Hakimi and Youssef En-Nesyri have further cemented their place in the history of the Atlas Lions.
Injured at the start of the tournament, the PSG right-back was absent during the group stage. He made his debut in the competition during the third group match against Zambia. Since then, he has regained his place as a starter and captain of the team. By starting the semi-final against the Super Eagles, Achraf Hakimi became the Moroccan player with the highest number of starts. His journey as a starter with the Atlas Lions began on September 1, 2017, according to Africatopsports.
With 26 starts, he now moves ahead of Noureddine Naybet (25) and Romain Saïss (24).
Youssef En-Nesyri also set a new record. The Fenerbahçe striker, who took Morocco’s final penalty in the shootout, came on during extra time. In doing so, he became the player with the most appearances in AFCON final stages.
Youssef En-Nesyri has now played 21 AFCON matches, one more than the former captain of the Atlas Lions.
