Ayoub El Kaabi's Spectacular Strike Caps Morocco's Victory Against Comoros in Afcon Opener.
Host nation Morocco shook off a jittery beginning to defeat their island opponents in the competition's inaugural fixture on the weekend, thanks to Brahim Díaz and substitute El Kaabi in the second half.
It was a far from convincing showing, however, from the heavily tipped Moroccans, who sit 97 places above the tiny island nation in the FIFA rankings and were forced to grind out for the three points in wet conditions at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium.
Tense Start and Spurned Opportunities
Morocco missed an first-half penalty and were goalless at half-time despite dominating possession, finally opening the scoring in the 11th minute of the second half.
It came when Noussair Mazraoui did well to keep the ball in play before slipping it across for Díaz to calmly pass home.
“The opening game is always difficult but we came good in the second period,” commented manager Regragui.
El Kaabi's Moment of Magic
The tension was subsequently extinguished by a piece of sheer genius from Ayoub El Kaabi. Just ten minutes after his introduction, the forward met a cross with a spectacular overhead kick in the 74th minute, making it two and sealing the win.
Before that, the hosts might have taken the lead in the 11th minute when a spot-kick was awarded for a foul on Brahim Díaz. Yet, Rahimi's penalty was kept out by Comoros goalkeeper Pandor.
Comoros Resistance and Second-Half Chance
The underdogs comfortably held Morocco at bay before the Moroccans' greater quality in the end made the difference.
Goalkeeper Pandor made a number of other fine saves to limit the score as the match progressed, even though Comoros did have a clear opportunity for an equalizer shortly following the first goal, with Rafiki Saïd shooting straight at Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Fitness Concern for Morocco
The victory was partially overshadowed by an injury to Morocco's captain, Romain Saïss, who limped off in the first half in tears.
This centre-back had only returned to the international setup recently following a year’s absence due to a serious ankle operation.
This result extends the team's record-breaking run of successive victories to nineteen, beating the old record of 15 set by Spain between 2008 and 2009.
