Victor Osimhen was substituted late in Nigeria's Africa Cup of Nations match due to a minor ankle injury, as explained by coach Eric Chelle. Chelle stated that the substitution was part of a pre-planned strategy to bring on players statistically best suited for penalties if the game went to a shootout.
Paul Onuachu replaced Osimhen and successfully converted Nigeria's first penalty. Another substitution, Samuel Chukwueze, also took a penalty but did not score, ultimately contributing to Nigeria's loss in the shootout after Morocco converted their remaining spot-kicks.