Ayoub El Kaabi's Breathtaking Finish Caps Morocco's Win Against the Coelacanths in Afcon Opening Match.
Host nation the Moroccan side shook off a anxious start to beat their island opponents in the tournament's inaugural fixture on the weekend, with goals from Brahim Díaz and super-sub El Kaabi in the latter period.
This constituted a less than dominant performance, however, from the heavily tipped hosts, who sit 97 places higher than the tiny Indian Ocean nation in the world rankings and had to grind out for the points in wet conditions at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium.
Nervy Start and Missed Chances
The hosts missed an first-half penalty and were locked at 0-0 at the interval even with dominating possession, eventually breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute.
It came when Noussair Mazraoui showed great skill to prevent the ball from going out before slipping it square for Brahim Díaz to sidefoot into the net.
Every opening game is never easy but we came good in the second period,” commented manager Walid Regragui.
The Substitute's Moment of Brilliance
The tension was subsequently eased by a moment of sheer genius from Ayoub El Kaabi. Only ten minutes following coming on, the forward connected with a cross with a spectacular overhead kick in the 74th minute, making it two and sealing the result.
Before that, the hosts might have taken ahead in the 11th minute when a penalty was given for a foul on Díaz. However, Soufiane Rahimi effort was saved by keeper Pandor.
Comoros Resistance and Late Opportunity
The underdogs comfortably held their more illustrious opponents for long periods before the hosts' individual talent in the end told.
Shot-stopper Yannick Pandor made several further good stops to limit the score as the match wore on, even though Comoros created a chance for an equalizer shortly after Díaz's goal, with Rafiki Saïd firing directly into Morocco goalkeeper Bounou.
Injury Worry for Morocco
The victory was partially marred by an injury to the captain, Romain Saïss, who limped off after the first half apparently in some distress.
This centre-back had only made his comeback to the international setup last month after a year’s layoff due to a serious ankle operation.
This result extends the team's historic run of consecutive wins to 19, beating the previous best of 15 set by Spain from 2008 and 2009.
