El Kaabi's Breathtaking Finish Wraps Up Morocco's Victory Over Comoros in Afcon First Game.
The Morocco overcame a nervy beginning to overcome their island opponents in the competition's first match on the weekend, after strikes by Brahim Díaz and substitute El Kaabi in the second half.
This constituted a hardly emphatic performance, however, from the highly fancied Moroccans, who are ranked 97 places higher than the small island nation in the FIFA rankings and were forced to toil hard for the victory in rainy conditions at Rabat's national stadium.
Nervy Beginning and Missed Opportunities
The hosts missed an first-half spot-kick and were locked at 0-0 at half-time even with dominating possession, eventually opening the scoring in the 55th minute.
The goal arrived after full-back Mazraoui did well to keep the ball in play before laying it across for Brahim Díaz to calmly pass home.
“The opening game is invariably tough but we delivered in the second period,” commented manager Walid Regragui.
El Kaabi's Moment of Magic
The tension was then extinguished by a piece of sheer individual brilliance from Ayoub El Kaabi. Only 10 minutes after his introduction, the forward met a ball into the box with a acrobatic bicycle kick in the 74th minute, making it two and ensuring the result.
Before that, the Moroccan team could have been the lead in the 11th minute when a penalty was awarded for a foul on Brahim Díaz. Yet, Rahimi's penalty was kept out by Comoros goalkeeper Pandor.
The Visitors' Defiant Stand and Late Chance
The underdogs stoutly defended against Morocco for long periods before the Moroccans' individual talent eventually told.
Shot-stopper Yannick Pandor pulled off several further fine saves to keep down the score as the match progressed, even though Comoros created a chance for an equalizer shortly after Díaz's goal, with Rafiki Saïd shooting straight at Morocco goalkeeper Bounou.
Injury Worry for Morocco
The three points was somewhat marred by an apparent injury to Morocco's skipper, Saïss, who was forced off after the 18th minute in tears.
This centre-back had only returned to the international setup recently following a year’s layoff caused by a serious ankle operation.
This result extends the team's historic run of successive wins to nineteen, beating the old record of 15 set by the Spanish national team from 2008 and 2009.
