Ayoub El Kaabi's Spectacular Strike Wraps Up Morocco's Victory Against Comoros in Afcon Opener.
Host nation the Moroccan side shook off a nervy beginning to defeat their island opponents in the tournament's inaugural fixture on the weekend, with goals from the Real Madrid attacker and super-sub Ayoub El Kaabi in the latter period.
It was a hardly emphatic performance, though, from the strongly favored hosts, who sit 97 places higher than the small island nation in the FIFA rankings and were forced to toil hard for the points in rainy conditions at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium.
Nervy Beginning and Missed Opportunities
Morocco missed an early penalty and were goalless at the interval even with dominating the ball, finally breaking the deadlock in the 11th minute of the second half.
It arrived after Noussair Mazraoui did well to keep the ball in play before slipping it across for Díaz to sidefoot into the net.
“The opening game is invariably tough but we improved in the second period,” said Morocco coach Regragui.
El Kaabi's Moment of Brilliance
The tension was then eased by a moment of sheer individual brilliance from Ayoub El Kaabi. Just ten minutes after his introduction, the forward connected with a ball into the box with a spectacular bicycle kick in the 74th minute, doubling and ensuring the result.
Before that, the hosts could have been the lead in the 11th minute after a spot-kick was awarded for a challenge on Díaz. Yet, Rahimi's penalty was saved by keeper Pandor.
Comoros Defiant Stand and Second-Half Chance
Comoros stoutly defended against Morocco for long periods before the Moroccans' greater quality in the end told.
Shot-stopper Pandor made several other good stops to limit the scoreline as the match wore on, even though his team created a chance for an equaliser shortly after Díaz's goal, with Saïd shooting directly into Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Fitness Concern for Morocco
The victory was somewhat overshadowed by an injury to the captain, Romain Saïss, who was forced off in the first half apparently in tears.
This centre-back had just made his comeback to the national side recently after a lengthy absence due to ankle surgery.
This result continues Morocco's record-breaking run of consecutive wins to 19, surpassing the previous record of 15 set by the Spanish national team between 2008 and 2009.
