Ayoub El Kaabi's Spectacular Finish Caps The Atlas Lions' Victory Against Comoros in Afcon First Game.
The Morocco overcame a nervy start to beat their island opponents in the tournament's first match on Sunday, thanks to the Real Madrid attacker and substitute El Kaabi in the second half.
It was a hardly emphatic performance, 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 victory in rainy conditions at Rabat's national stadium.
Nervy Beginning and Missed Opportunities
Morocco failed to convert an early spot-kick and were locked at 0-0 at the interval despite controlling possession, eventually breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute.
The goal came when Noussair Mazraoui did well to prevent the ball from going out before slipping it square for Brahim Díaz to sidefoot into the net.
“The first match is always difficult but we came good in the second half,” commented Morocco coach Regragui.
The Substitute's Moment of Brilliance
The tension was then extinguished by a moment of pure genius from Ayoub El Kaabi. Only 10 minutes after coming on, the striker met a ball into the box with a stunning overhead kick in the 74th minute, doubling and sealing the result.
Earlier in the match, the hosts could have been the lead in the 11th minute when a spot-kick was given for a challenge on Díaz. Yet, Soufiane Rahimi effort was kept out by Comoros goalkeeper Pandor.
The Visitors' Defiant Stand and Second-Half Chance
The underdogs stoutly defended against Morocco at bay before the hosts' greater quality in the end made the difference.
Shot-stopper Pandor pulled off several other good stops to limit the scoreline as the match wore on, even though Comoros created a chance for an equalizer shortly following the first goal, with Rafiki Saïd shooting straight at Morocco goalkeeper Bounou.
Injury Concern for Morocco
The three points was partially marred by an apparent injury to the skipper, Romain Saïss, who limped off after the 18th minute in tears.
The centre-back had only returned to the national side recently after a year’s layoff due to ankle surgery.
This result extends the team's record-breaking run of successive victories to 19, surpassing the previous best of 15 set by the Spanish national team between 2008 and 2009.
