Ayoub El Kaabi's Stunning Strike Wraps Up The Atlas Lions' Win Over Comoros in Africa Cup of Nations First Game.
Host nation Morocco overcame a anxious start to beat their island opponents in the tournament's inaugural fixture on Sunday, with goals from the Real Madrid attacker and substitute Ayoub El Kaabi in the latter period.
It was a far from convincing showing, however, from the heavily tipped Moroccans, who sit 97 places higher than the tiny Indian Ocean nation in the FIFA rankings and were forced to work tirelessly for the three points in rainy conditions at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium.
Tense Start and Spurned Opportunities
The hosts missed an first-half penalty and were locked at 0-0 at the interval despite dominating possession, eventually opening the scoring in the 55th minute.
The goal arrived after Noussair Mazraoui did well to keep the ball in play before laying it across for DĂaz to calmly pass home.
Every first match is invariably tough but we came good in the second period,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui.
El Kaabi's Piece of Magic
Any lingering nerves was then eased by a moment of sheer individual brilliance from substitute El Kaabi. Only 10 minutes after coming on, the striker met a cross with a spectacular overhead kick in the 74th minute, doubling and sealing the result.
Earlier in the match, the Moroccan team might have taken the lead in the 11th minute when a spot-kick was awarded for a foul on DĂaz. Yet, Soufiane Rahimi effort was saved by keeper Yannick Pandor.
The Visitors' Resistance and Late Opportunity
The underdogs stoutly defended against their more illustrious opponents for long periods before the hosts' greater quality eventually made the difference.
Goalkeeper Yannick Pandor pulled off several further fine saves to limit the scoreline as the game progressed, even though his team created a chance for an equalizer shortly after the first goal, with SaĂŻd firing directly into Morocco goalkeeper Bounou.
Injury Worry for Morocco
The three points was somewhat overshadowed by an apparent injury to Morocco's skipper, Romain SaĂŻss, who limped off in the 18th minute apparently in tears.
The defender had only made his comeback to the international setup last month following a year’s layoff due to ankle surgery.
This result extends the team's record-breaking run of successive victories to nineteen, surpassing the previous record of 15 set by the Spanish national team between 2008 and 2009.
