El Kaabi's Spectacular Finish Wraps Up The Atlas Lions' Victory Against Comoros in Afcon Opening Match.
The the Moroccan side shook off a nervy start to defeat their island opponents in the competition's inaugural fixture on the weekend, with goals from Brahim Díaz and super-sub Ayoub El Kaabi in the second half.
It was a far from convincing performance, though, from the strongly favored hosts, who sit 97 places above the tiny island nation in the FIFA rankings and were forced to toil hard for the points in wet conditions at the national stadium.
Tense Beginning and Spurned Opportunities
Morocco missed an early spot-kick and were locked at 0-0 at the interval even with controlling the ball, finally breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute.
It arrived after Noussair Mazraoui did well to prevent the ball from going out before laying it square for Brahim Díaz to sidefoot home.
Every opening game is always difficult but we improved in the second period,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui.
El Kaabi's Piece of Brilliance
Any lingering nerves was subsequently eased by a piece of pure individual brilliance from Ayoub El Kaabi. Just ten minutes following coming on, the striker met a ball into the box with a stunning bicycle kick in the 74th minute, making it two and ensuring the win.
Earlier in the match, the Moroccan team might have taken the lead in the 11th minute when a spot-kick was given for a foul on Díaz. Yet, Rahimi's penalty was kept out by Comoros goalkeeper Yannick Pandor.
Comoros Defiant Stand and Late Chance
The underdogs stoutly defended against Morocco for long periods before the hosts' individual talent eventually made the difference.
Shot-stopper Yannick Pandor made a number of other good stops to limit the score as the match wore on, even though Comoros created a chance for an equaliser shortly after Díaz's goal, with Saïd shooting directly into Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Fitness Concern for Hosts
The victory was partially overshadowed by an apparent injury to Morocco's captain, Romain Saïss, who limped off in the 18th minute in tears.
This centre-back had only made his comeback to the international setup last month after a year’s absence due to ankle surgery.
This result extends the team's record-breaking run of successive wins to nineteen, beating the previous record of 15 set by Spain from 2008 and 2009.
