Of the 8 teams that originally made it to the quarterfinal of the 2025 AFCON tournant, 4 already played against themselves, 2 qualifying with 2 being eliminated from the tournant.
Morocco and Tunisia already progressed to the semifinal, where they were automatically matched up against each other in the grouping.
Egypt and Algeria were eliminated.
And with the first 2 gas of the first day done, the fans had a mont of reprieve as they rested, preparing for tomorrow's gas.
Next up was Caroon vs Nigeria.
…
10th January, 2026…
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Like usual, that morning, a certain mber of the Nigerian squad jogged through the streets of Morocco away from his hotel.
Listening to the 'Not Like Us' jam from Kendrick Lamar that was still making waves in the rap world even in 2026, Sam's body emitted sweat and steam as he jogged through the streets of Morocco.
Yes, it was the AFCON tournant but that did not an that his system took it easy on him.
To the system, it was just another stage for him to perform and rise to beco the Football God like it promised.
At the beginning of the AFCON tournant, like Sam expected, his system lit up with a new notification, informing him of another quest added to his Seasonal System Quest, and the quest was about the AFCON tournant.
The quest had 3 missions; the first being to win the AFCON tournant itself, the second being to win the golden ball award given to the best player of the tournant, and the third and last being to win the golden boot award given to the player with the most goals at the end of the tournant.
For the 3 missions, Sam was making great progress.
In the golden ball and golden boot race, he was already the favorite alongside Senegal's Ismaila Sarr, and Morocco's Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz.
With other favorites in the country already eliminated, the golden boot race was now made narrower. Sam was currently the forerunner, but his main rival to the golden boot award was still Senegal's Ismaila Sarr.
'I'll do it!' Sam thought as he ran.
'I'll carve another legend in this AFCON tournant!'
'I'll keep on announcing my na to the world, at every opportunity, at every given chance'.
'I'll keep on Losing Myself, seizing my mont till I hit my peak'.
'…Till they acknowledge that I'm the new King in football'.
'…Till they all believe that I'm the best'.
A group of paparazzi soon spotted Sam, taking pictures of him indiscriminately which forced him to increase his pace, jogging to the nearest stadium where he completed the rest of his daily system quest.
With that, he finally returned to his hotel room.
That morning, there was no training for Eric Chelle's players. Rather, he invited them to the conference room where he did the last tactical drilling before the ga into their heads, and then he sent them off to rest and ntally prepare themselves for the clash in the evening.
Ti moved very fast, and in a blink, it was evening.
Nigeria lined up against Caroon in the 69,000 capacity Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in the capital city of Morocco, Rabat.
Like expected, both countries started with their strongest lineups.
For the Nigerian squad, nothing changed.
For the Caroon squad, starting in a 4-1-4-1 formation, the Manchester United goalkeeper, Andre Onana who was also the captain started in between the posts as the last man in defense for Caroon.
Ahead of him, in defense was the quadruple of Tolo, Wooh, Ngadeu, and Tchatchoua. In CDM (Central Defensive Midfield) was Quomah Baleba.
And then further ahead him, higher up in the field was the quadruple of Bassogog, Hongla, Anguissa, and Bryan Mbeumo as the attacking force.
Leading the line as the striker though was a familiar face, Victor Aboubakar.
Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!
The Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat roared with unrelenting passion as both countries faced off in this high-stakes AFCON quarterfinal clash. Nigeria were the favorites, but not by much.
Caroon was also a giant of African football.
The stadium, packed with over 50,000 fervent fans beca a battleground where the fierce West African rivalry unfolded in electrifying fashion.
FWEEEE!
From the opening whistle, even as the ga started, the atmosphere in this stadium remained electric.
Nigerian supporters, draped in green and white, filled the air with pulsating drums and rhythmic chants, their voices echoing through the concrete walls in a vivid display of their passion for the sport.
Across the stands, Caroonian fans, adorned in the iconic green, red, and yellow of the Indomitable Lions responded with thunderous songs and vuvuzelas that blared in unison.
Just like in the past 2 previous quarterfinal clashes, it was an intense ga.
The tension was palpable with every pass, every tackle, and every near miss, Victor Osimhen leading the charge for the Nigerians.
Fans leapt to their feet in anticipation, their emotions swinging between ecstasy and despair as the action on the pitch unfolded.
The stadium vibrated with raw energy as flares lit up the night sky and banners waved proudly in support of their heroes.
When either side launched a dangerous attack, the collective gasp of the crowd filled the air, followed by eruptions of cheers or groans, depending on the outco. Football was just beautiful that way.
But in the end, Nigeria struck, drawing first blood.
It was Samuel Moses who created it.
Receiving a pass from Alex Iwobi just outside the 18-yard box, with his physicality, Sam protected the ball, spinning, looking for the perfect pass.
Victor Osimhen ran into space, including Ademola Lookman as their markers responded but instead of passing to them, Sam threaded the ball through the middle, back towards Alex Iwobi's diagonal run.
"…!"
Noting the threat, the Caroonian goalkeeper, Andre Onana rushed out but keeping his cool, with his first touch, Alex Iwobi chipped the ball over the goalkeeper.
"GOALLLLLLL…!!!" The stadium roared to life as the Nigerian fans celebrated with passion at the top of their lungs.
The goal ca in the 33rd minute, but Caroon didn't stay still though.
In the 44th minute, they responded, their striker, Aboubakar rising highest in the box to lash into a header, sending it past Stanley Nwabali.
"GOALLLLLL…!!!" The Caroonian fans responded in kind.
This ga was end to end.
The first half ca to an end 1-1.
But when 2nd half ca, a certain player stole the stage.
The King showed up.
Zinedine Sam did what he did best, he srized and dominated.
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