Ayoub El Kaabi's Spectacular Finish Wraps Up The Atlas Lions' Triumph Against Comoros in Africa Cup of Nations Opener.
Host nation the Moroccan side shook off a jittery beginning to defeat their island opponents in the tournament's first match on the weekend, after strikes by the Real Madrid attacker and substitute El Kaabi in the latter period.
It was a less than dominant display, though, from the strongly favored hosts, who sit 97 places above the small Indian Ocean nation in the FIFA rankings and were forced to work tirelessly for the three points in rainy conditions at Rabat's national stadium.
Nervy Beginning and Spurned Chances
Morocco missed an first-half penalty and were goalless at half-time even with dominating possession, finally opening the scoring in the 55th minute.
The goal came when full-back Mazraoui showed great skill to prevent the ball from going out before laying it square for Brahim Díaz to calmly pass home.
Every opening game is invariably tough but we came good in the second period,” said manager Walid Regragui.
The Substitute's Piece of Brilliance
The tension was then calmed by a piece of sheer individual brilliance from Ayoub El Kaabi. Just ten minutes following his introduction, the striker connected with a ball into the box with a spectacular overhead kick in the 74th minute, making it two and sealing the result.
Before that, the hosts could have been ahead in the 11th minute when a penalty was given for a challenge on Díaz. Yet, Rahimi's penalty was saved by Comoros goalkeeper Yannick Pandor.
The Visitors' Resistance and Second-Half Chance
Comoros stoutly defended against their more illustrious opponents for long periods before the hosts' superior firepower in the end told.
Shot-stopper Yannick Pandor pulled off a number of further fine saves to limit the score as the match wore on, even though Comoros created a chance for an equalizer shortly after the first goal, with Saïd firing straight at keeper Bounou.
Injury Worry for Hosts
The victory was partially overshadowed by an apparent injury to Morocco's skipper, Romain Saïss, who limped off in the 18th minute in tears.
This defender had only returned to the international setup last month after a year’s layoff due to a serious ankle operation.
The win extends Morocco's record-breaking run of successive wins to nineteen, beating the previous best of 15 set by the Spanish national team between 2008 and 2009.
