El Kaabi's Breathtaking Finish Caps The Atlas Lions' Victory Over the Coelacanths in Africa Cup of Nations First Game.
The the Moroccan side shook off a jittery beginning to defeat their island opponents in the tournament's inaugural fixture on the weekend, after strikes by the Real Madrid attacker and super-sub El Kaabi in the second half.
It was a hardly emphatic performance, though, from the highly fancied Moroccans, who are ranked 97 places above the tiny island nation in the world rankings and were forced to work tirelessly for the three points in rainy conditions at the national stadium.
Tense Beginning and Missed Opportunities
Morocco missed an first-half penalty and were locked at 0-0 at half-time even with dominating possession, eventually opening the scoring in the 11th minute of the second half.
It came when Noussair Mazraoui showed great skill to prevent the ball from going out before laying it square for Brahim Díaz to sidefoot home.
“The opening game is always difficult but we improved in the second period,” commented manager Regragui.
El Kaabi's Moment of Brilliance
The tension was then calmed by a moment of pure individual brilliance from Ayoub El Kaabi. Just ten minutes after his introduction, the forward connected with a ball into the box with a acrobatic bicycle kick in the 74th minute, doubling and ensuring the result.
Earlier in the match, the hosts could have been the lead in the 11th minute after a spot-kick was given for a foul on Díaz. However, Soufiane Rahimi effort was kept out by keeper Yannick Pandor.
The Visitors' Defiant Stand and Late Opportunity
Comoros comfortably held their more illustrious opponents for long periods until the hosts' greater quality in the end told.
Shot-stopper Pandor made several other good stops to keep down the score as the match progressed, although his team did have a chance for an equaliser shortly after Díaz's goal, with Rafiki Saïd firing straight at keeper Bounou.
Injury Concern for Morocco
The victory was somewhat marred by an apparent injury to the captain, Saïss, who was forced off after the 18th minute in tears.
The defender had only made his comeback to the national side recently after a lengthy layoff caused by a serious ankle operation.
This result extends Morocco's historic run of consecutive wins to 19, surpassing the previous record of 15 set by the Spanish national team from 2008 and 2009.
