El Kaabi's Breathtaking Strike Wraps Up The Atlas Lions' Victory Over Comoros in Afcon Opener.
The the Moroccan side overcame a nervy beginning to overcome their island opponents in the competition's inaugural fixture on the weekend, thanks to Brahim Díaz and substitute Ayoub El Kaabi in the latter period.
It was a hardly emphatic performance, though, from the heavily tipped Moroccans, who sit 97 places higher than the tiny Indian Ocean nation in the FIFA rankings and were forced to grind out for the victory in wet conditions at Rabat's national stadium.
Nervy Start and Spurned Chances
The hosts failed to convert an first-half penalty and were goalless at half-time despite controlling the ball, eventually opening the scoring in the 55th minute.
It came when Noussair Mazraoui showed great skill to prevent the ball from going out before laying it square for Díaz to sidefoot into the net.
“The first match is never easy but we delivered in the second half,” said manager Regragui.
The Substitute's Piece of Brilliance
The tension was subsequently eased by a moment of pure individual brilliance from Ayoub El Kaabi. Just ten minutes after his introduction, the striker connected with a ball into the box with a stunning bicycle kick in the 74th minute, doubling and sealing the result.
Before that, the Moroccan team could have been the lead in the 11th minute after a penalty was awarded for a foul on Brahim Díaz. However, Rahimi's penalty was kept out by keeper Yannick Pandor.
Comoros Resistance and Second-Half Opportunity
The underdogs stoutly defended against Morocco for long periods until the hosts' greater quality eventually told.
Goalkeeper Pandor pulled off a number of further fine saves to keep down the score as the game wore on, even though Comoros did have a chance for an equalizer shortly after Díaz's goal, with Rafiki Saïd shooting straight at keeper Bounou.
Fitness Concern for Morocco
The victory was somewhat overshadowed by an injury to Morocco's captain, Romain Saïss, who limped off after the 18th minute in some distress.
The centre-back had just made his comeback to the international setup recently after a year’s layoff caused by ankle surgery.
This result continues Morocco's record-breaking run of successive wins to nineteen, surpassing the previous best of 15 set by the Spanish national team between 2008 and 2009.
