This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
Published on July 5, 2019, Morocco's Atlas Lions were on course for a semi-final spot in the Cup of Nations, but a shocking defeat to Benin's Squirrels in the last 16 has left them reeling.
Benin's Moise Adilehou forced home a corner early in the second half to put the Squirrels on course for a shock win, but Morocco's Youssef En-Nesyri equalised before Ajax star Hakim Ziyech blew the chance to snatch victory by striking the post from the spot in the 96th minute.
Benin were forced to play most of the additional 30 minutes a man down after Khaled Adenon received a second yellow card for dissent, but they prevailed in the shootout, with misses by Sofiane Boufal and En-Nesyri setting up a clash with Senegal or Uganda on July 10 for a spot in the semi-finals.
Benin's win marked a remarkable turnaround for the Squirrels, who were winless in 12 previous Cup of Nations matches and only scraped through to the knockout rounds on the back of three draws.
