Nigeria’s Bright Osayi-Samuel has described the Super Eagles’ AFCON semi-final exit as “painful,” while criticising officiating during their penalty shootout loss to hosts Morocco.

The comments followed Nigeria’s 4–2 defeat on penalties to Morocco after a goalless 120 minutes in their Africa Cup of Nations semi-final clash at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat, ending Nigeria’s unbeaten run in the tournament.

Speaking in a post match interview, Osayi-Samuel praised the team’s performance but expressed deep frustration over the outcome.

“Painful, very painful, to lose. I think we played very well, the back four was amazing, I’m proud of the team,” he said.

The midfielder revealed that the players received encouragement from both the technical crew and officials despite the loss.

“The manager came down and said he’s proud of the team, the board members came down and said they’re proud of the team. It’s just really painful we lost some penalties…”

However, the Birmingham City defender pointed to officiating decisions as a major concern, while stopping short of blaming them entirely for Nigeria’s defeat.

“One thing I will say is the referee was appalling, not saying that’s the reason why we lost but, just making very wrong decisions, and it’s really painful to see that we have refs like that in a big game like today.”

Despite his disappointment, the Nigerian international extended goodwill to the tournament hosts.

“But I wish Morocco all the best.”

Morocco advanced to the final after converting four penalties to Nigeria’s two, setting up a showdown with Senegal. The Atlas Lions are chasing their first AFCON title since 1976, while Nigeria’s quest for a fourth continental crown ends at the semi-final stage. (Arise News)