6 min: Lookman gets on the ball on the edge of the box and tries to play Osayi-Samuel through but he collides with a couple of Morocco defenders and is penalised, for some reason. Onyedika then goes in on Hakimi. Feisty.
5 min: Nigeria try to take the sting out of the game after a jumpy start. That only serves to increase the volume of whistling coming from the home crowd.
3 min: Ajayi is a bag of nerves, giving the ball straight to Ezzalzouli in Nigeria’s defensive third. The defender manages to crunch in a tackle just as the winger was pulling the trigger.
2 min: Iwobi looks for Osimhen right away, punting the ball over the Morocco backline but Bono comes to gather. Piercing whistles for whenever Nigeria are on the ball.
Morocco in their red and green, Nigeria in all white. Captains Hakimi and Osimhen exchange pennants and handshakes. It’s go time. The noise is something else.
