Rise of a Football God

Out of the 24 countries that competed in the AFCON tournament from the group stage, after going through a treacherous process of culling, now only 4 African countries remained in the tournament.

Only 4 made it to the semifinals.

And now, it was time for the final culling.

(AFCON 2025:)

(Tunisia – Morocco)

(Date: 14th January, 2026)

…

(Senegal – Nigeria)

(Date: 14th January, 2026)

Football was an unpredictable sport.

At the beginning of the tournament, nobody predicted Tunisia to make it all the way to the semifinal of the AFCON tournament but here they were, alongside 3 big names of African footballing history.

And now, alongside the big 3, they were to undergo the final culling in the prelude to the final game of the AFCON tournament.

After the quarterfinal, the teams had 3 days of rest to prepare for their next game in the semifinals.

The atmosphere in the Nigerian camp was full of palpable tension. Afterall, this time, theirs was the clash dubbed as the clash of titans.

The matchup of death.

On the other side of the matchup, Morocco already took on another tournament favorite once in Egypt, passing the test with flying colors.

Now it was Senegal and Nigeria's turn to prove their mettle against a dangerous opponent, to show that they were cut from champion material.

In those 3 days, in the Nigerian camp, Eric Chelle didn't push his players to the limit physically like others expected.

Rather, the coach employed meditation techniques with his players.

Eric Chelle already worked with his players long enough to have a good idea about their physical condition. This was why he knew that after training so hard for every game since the group stage till now, all his players were in peak physical condition, even the substitutes.

This was why in those 3 days that they had, instead of working his players to the bone, he rather utilized the days for what they were meant for, rest.

In his words. "You've pushed your bodies enough, now it's time to push your minds".

"Football is a physical game as much as it's a game of the mind".

Employing advanced post-match recovery processes and meditation practices with his players, Eric Chelle made sure that all his players were at their peak and well rested before the game.

He didn't just do that though.

While they recovered their body, he drilled them mentally, going on a literal lecture, explaining his tactics for the Senegal game.

It was Nigeria's biggest game in the tournament so far, their biggest test.

Eric Chelle was determined to pass the test, and so were his players.

Eric Chelle had literal sleepless nights, analyzing, making deductions to dissect the strengths and weaknesses of the Senegal team to the barest minimum for his players to quickly grasp.

And then, he drilled his own approach to the game into their heads.

Only after that was the coach satisfied.

But he was not the only one working his ass off though. This was the semifinals, one more step and it would be the AFCON final; the other 3 coaches also worked their asses off analyzing and dissecting the opposition team.

To them, it was now or never. There was no better shot at the AFCON trophy than the semifinal right now, they had to give their all to take it.

It was going to be a clash of titans.

Like this, time moved fast. In a jiffy, it was already D-day.

14th January, 2026…

The evening was cloudy and cold, a perfect atmosphere for football.

The venue for the first semifinal game was the Complexe Sportif Mohammed V stadium in Casablanca.

And that evening, the stadium was a seething cauldron of passion and tension as Morocco, the tournament hosts faced Tunisia in a blockbuster AFCON semifinal.

The stakes could not have been higher.

One step away from the final, a North African rivalry brimming with history, and a stadium overflowing with 50,000 roaring fans, each heartbeat synched with the drama unfolding on the pitch.

From the moment the teams emerged from the tunnel, the Moroccan crowd erupted into a deafening wall of noise.

"Dima Maghrib!" "Dima Maghrib!"

Waves of red flooded the stands, massive flags unfurling as the thunderous chants of the Moroccan fanbase shook the stadium.

The rhythmic beating of drums and the blaring of horns created an almost hypnotic intensity, a force willing the Atlas Lions forward.

But the Tunisian supporters were defiant.

A section of the stadium pulsed with the determined energy of their traveling fans, draped in red and white, belting out war cries of their own.

Their chants rose and fell in waves, refusing to be drowned out by the Moroccan onslaught.

The home advantage was just unfair, but they refused to give up.

And then…

FWEEEE!

The game started.

Morocco was the favorite, but Tunisia played the game of their lives, leaving it all on the pitch against the Atlas Lions.

Every pass, every challenge, every surge forward sent shockwaves through the stands. The tension was suffocating.

Gasps of anticipation turned into deafening roars with each near-miss, and jeers cascaded down as tempers flared on the field.

And when the goal finally came, the stadium exploded; one half in absolute delirium and the other in stunned silence and bitter defiance.

It was an agonizing goal, an own goal.

After holding out for most of the first half, in the additional time after 45 minutes, Morocco finally broke the deadlock, one of the Tunisian defenders scoring an agonizing own goal.

Morocco didn't care though; they celebrated the goal exuberantly.

The first half came to an end 0-1 in Morocco's favor.

When second half started, Morocco piled on the pressure even as Tunisian bravely defended for their lives.

As the game neared its climax, the sheer intensity of the atmosphere was overwhelming and it was in that atmosphere where Brahim Diaz shone brightly.

Like a beacon of light in darkness, the Real Madrid winger went on an incredible solo run, carrying the Moroccan dream forward as he scored from close range after dribbling through the whole Tunisian defense!

In the 62nd minute, Brahim Diaz ended the game.

"GOALLLL…!!!" Moroccan fans roared at the top of their lungs.

On that night, it would be recorded that after a valiant performance from Tunisia, they bowed out of the tournament with their heads held high.

On that night, Brahim Diaz won the man of the match award.

And Morocco matched to the final of the 2025 AFCON tournament.

Next was Senegal vs Nigeria.