Ayoub El Kaabi's Spectacular Strike Wraps Up The Atlas Lions' Win Over the Coelacanths in Afcon Opener.
The the Moroccan side shook off a nervy start to defeat Comoros in the competition's opening game on Sunday, with goals from Brahim Díaz and substitute El Kaabi in the second half.
It was a less than dominant showing, however, from the strongly favored hosts, who are ranked 97 places above the tiny Indian Ocean nation in the FIFA rankings and were forced to work tirelessly for the victory in wet conditions at Rabat's Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium.
Tense Start and Missed Chances
The hosts missed an early penalty and were goalless at the interval even with controlling the ball, eventually opening the scoring in the 55th minute.
The goal came when full-back Mazraoui showed great skill to keep the ball in play before laying it square for Díaz to calmly pass into the net.
Every first match is never easy but we came good in the second period,” said Morocco coach Regragui.
El Kaabi's Moment of Magic
The tension was subsequently eased by a moment of sheer genius from Ayoub El Kaabi. Only ten minutes after coming on, the striker met a ball into the box with a stunning overhead kick in the 74th minute, making it two and sealing the win.
Earlier in the match, the Moroccan team might have taken ahead in the 11th minute after a spot-kick was given for a challenge on Brahim Díaz. Yet, Rahimi's penalty was kept out by keeper Yannick Pandor.
Comoros Resistance and Second-Half Opportunity
Comoros comfortably held their more illustrious opponents for long periods until the hosts' greater quality in the end told.
Goalkeeper Yannick Pandor pulled off a number of further fine saves to limit the scoreline as the match wore on, even though his team did have a clear opportunity for an equaliser shortly following Díaz's goal, with Saïd firing directly into keeper Bounou.
Fitness Worry for Hosts
The victory was somewhat marred by an apparent injury to the captain, Romain Saïss, who limped off in the first half in some distress.
The defender had only returned to the international setup last month after a year’s layoff due to ankle surgery.
The win continues Morocco'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.
