Ayoub El Kaabi's Breathtaking Goal Caps The Atlas Lions' Triumph Against the Coelacanths in Afcon Opening Match.
The the Moroccan side shook off a nervy start to beat Comoros in the tournament's inaugural fixture on the weekend, after strikes by the Real Madrid attacker and super-sub Ayoub El Kaabi in the second half.
It was a hardly emphatic performance, however, from the strongly favored 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 the national stadium.
Tense Start and Missed Chances
Morocco failed to convert an first-half penalty and were locked at 0-0 at the interval despite controlling the ball, finally breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute.
It arrived after Noussair Mazraoui did well to keep the ball in play before laying it across for Díaz to sidefoot home.
“The opening game is always difficult but we came good in the second period,” commented Morocco coach Walid Regragui.
El Kaabi's Piece of Magic
The tension was then calmed by a piece of pure genius from Ayoub El Kaabi. Only ten minutes after his introduction, the forward connected with a cross with a spectacular bicycle kick in the 74th minute, making it two and sealing the win.
Before that, the Moroccan team might have taken ahead in the 11th minute after a penalty was given for a challenge on Díaz. Yet, Rahimi's penalty was kept out by keeper Pandor.
The Visitors' Resistance and Late Opportunity
The underdogs comfortably held their more illustrious opponents for long periods before the hosts' superior firepower in the end made the difference.
Shot-stopper Yannick Pandor pulled off several other good stops to limit the score as the game progressed, although Comoros did have a chance for an equalizer shortly following Díaz's goal, with Rafiki Saïd shooting straight at Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Fitness Worry for Hosts
The victory was somewhat overshadowed by an apparent injury to Morocco's captain, Saïss, who limped off in the 18th minute in tears.
The defender had only returned to the international setup last month following a year’s layoff caused by a serious ankle operation.
This result continues Morocco's record-breaking run of consecutive wins to 19, beating the previous best of 15 set by Spain from 2008 and 2009.
