Morocco Edge Nigeria in Nail-Biting Five-Set Thriller
Nigeria’s bid for a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 CAVB Men’s African Nations Volleyball Championship came to a dramatic end on Monday as Morocco edged the West Africans 3-2 in a thrilling quarter-final encounter in Tunis.
The contest at the El Menzah Sports Hall produced a remarkable battle of momentum, with both teams refusing to surrender until Morocco finally prevailed in the decisive fifth set.
Morocco won 20-25, 25-15, 25-21, 24-26, 15-12 to secure their place in the last four, while Nigeria were left to rue the narrow margins that ultimately separated the two sides.
Nigeria started the contest with purpose, taking the opening set 25-20 and immediately putting Morocco on the back foot.
The Moroccans, however, responded with authority in the second set, winning 25-15 before taking the third 25-21 to establish a 2-1 advantage.
With their championship hopes under serious pressure, Nigeria produced a determined response in the fourth set.
The West Africans battled through a tense finish to win 26-24, forcing the match into a fifth-set decider and keeping their semi-final hopes alive.
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The deciding set was another closely fought affair, but Morocco held their nerve when it mattered most, eventually claiming the tie-break 15-12 to complete a 3-2 victory.
The result brings Nigeria’s hopes of a medal to an end, but the team’s campaign has nevertheless featured significant moments, including a dramatic 3-2 victory over Algeria earlier in the tournament.
Nigeria recovered from losing the first and third sets against Algeria to force a deciding fifth set, where they prevailed 15-12 to book their place in the quarter-finals.
The defeat to Morocco now sends Nigeria into the 5th–8th classification stage, where they will have an opportunity to finish their continental campaign on a positive note.
According to the tournament schedule, Nigeria are set to face Rwanda on Wednesday, September 23, while Ghana will meet Egypt in the other classification encounter.
At the semi-final stage, Morocco will face hosts Tunisia, while Cameroon take on Algeria for a place in the final.
The quarter-finals underlined the competitive nature of this year’s championship, with three of the four matches going the distance, including Nigeria’s dramatic five-set battle with Morocco.
For Nigeria, the focus now shifts from the pursuit of a semi-final berth to securing a strong finish in the classification phase after coming within just three points of forcing Morocco into another set.
