El Kaabi's Stunning Finish Wraps Up The Atlas Lions' Victory Against Comoros in Afcon Opening Match.
The Morocco shook off a jittery beginning to defeat Comoros in the competition's inaugural fixture on Sunday, after strikes by the Real Madrid attacker and super-sub El Kaabi in the second half.
This constituted a hardly emphatic showing, however, from the highly fancied Moroccans, who sit 97 places above the small island nation in the FIFA rankings and had to grind out for the victory in rainy conditions at Rabat's Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium.
Tense Start and Spurned Opportunities
The hosts failed to convert an early penalty and were locked at 0-0 at the interval even with controlling the ball, finally breaking the deadlock in the 11th minute of the second half.
The goal came when full-back Mazraoui did well to prevent the ball from going out before laying it across for Brahim Díaz to calmly pass home.
“The opening game is always difficult but we improved in the second half,” commented Morocco coach Walid Regragui.
The Substitute's Piece of Magic
Any lingering nerves was subsequently extinguished by a piece of sheer individual brilliance from Ayoub El Kaabi. Just 10 minutes following coming on, the striker met a ball into the box with a spectacular overhead kick in the 74th minute, doubling and sealing the result.
Earlier in the match, the hosts might have taken ahead in the 11th minute after a spot-kick was given for a foul on Díaz. However, Soufiane Rahimi effort was kept out by Comoros goalkeeper Pandor.
Comoros Defiant Stand and Second-Half Chance
The underdogs comfortably held Morocco for long periods before the hosts' greater quality in the end told.
Goalkeeper Yannick Pandor pulled off several further good stops to limit the scoreline as the game wore on, even though his team created a chance for an equalizer shortly following the first goal, with Rafiki Saïd firing straight at keeper Bounou.
Injury Worry for Hosts
The victory was partially marred by an injury to the skipper, Romain Saïss, who limped off in the 18th minute in tears.
The defender had only made his comeback to the international setup last month after a year’s absence due to a serious ankle operation.
This result extends the team's historic run of consecutive victories to 19, surpassing the previous record of 15 set by Spain between 2008 and 2009.