Noussair Mazraoui: Man United star makes history for club in AFCON

Manchester United had one player involved in international duty last night.

Noussair Mazraoui’s Morocco edged past Nigeria 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 stalemate during the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final.

Bryan Mbeumo and Amad both returned to Manchester this week after Cameroon and the Ivory Coast were eliminated at the quarter-final stage.

Noussair Mazraoui will now play in the final against Senegal on Sunday.

The United man showed his versatility by playing as a left-back instead of his usual spot on the right.

He made a huge 11 defensive contributions in the match and impressively made three of his four tackles.

Mazraoui’s positioning was also excellent, as he made six clearances and an interception to protect his goal.

The United man was also incredibly combative against the Super Eagles. He won an impressive 11 ground duels out of 14 attempts and his only aerial duel.

Mazraoui is not only a defender, but he can also contribute effectively in attack, as he did last night.

The 28-year-old made two key passes in the match but did not complete his only cross attempt of the evening.

The Moroccan also completed 58 passes during the match and kept the Nigerian defence busy by completing three out of his four dribble attempts.

He also played the entire 120 minutes of action but was not required to step up to take a penalty.

Mazraoui becomes the first United player to make it to the AFCON final, as Quinton Fortune’s third-place finish with South Africa was previously the best ever finish for a Red Devil.

Ivory Coast did win the competition in 2024, but Amad was not part of the squad. Mazraoui will hope to continue the history-making and become the first United winner of the AFCON.

Featured image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images

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