El Kaabi's Stunning Finish Secures Morocco's Triumph Over the Coelacanths in Afcon Opening Match.
The Morocco shook off a nervy beginning to beat their island opponents in the competition's inaugural fixture on Sunday, thanks to the Real Madrid attacker and substitute Ayoub El Kaabi in the latter period.
It was a hardly emphatic performance, though, from the highly fancied Moroccans, who sit 97 places above the small island nation in the FIFA rankings and had to work tirelessly for the victory in wet conditions at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium.
Nervy Start and Missed Opportunities
The hosts missed an first-half spot-kick and were goalless at half-time even with controlling possession, finally opening the scoring in the 55th minute.
It came when full-back Mazraoui showed great skill to prevent the ball from going out before laying it square for Brahim Díaz to calmly pass home.
“The first match is always difficult but we improved in the second half,” said manager Regragui.
El Kaabi's Moment of Magic
Any lingering nerves was then extinguished by a moment of pure individual brilliance from substitute El Kaabi. Just ten minutes following his introduction, the striker met a ball into the box with a stunning 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 penalty was given for a foul on Brahim Díaz. Yet, Rahimi's effort was saved by keeper Pandor.
Comoros Defiant Stand and Second-Half Opportunity
The underdogs stoutly defended against their more illustrious opponents at bay before the Moroccans' individual talent eventually made the difference.
Shot-stopper Yannick Pandor pulled off a number of further good stops to keep down the score as the match wore on, although Comoros created a clear opportunity for an equaliser shortly following the first goal, with Saïd shooting straight at Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Injury 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.
This defender had just returned to the international setup last month following a lengthy layoff due to a serious ankle operation.
The win extends Morocco's record-breaking run of successive victories to 19, surpassing the previous record of 15 set by the Spanish national team between 2008 and 2009.
