El Kaabi's Spectacular Strike Caps The Atlas Lions' Win Over Comoros in Afcon First Game.
Host nation the Moroccan side shook off a jittery beginning to overcome their island opponents in the competition's inaugural fixture on the weekend, after strikes by the Real Madrid attacker and super-sub El Kaabi in the second half.
This constituted a hardly emphatic showing, however, from the strongly favored hosts, who sit 97 places higher than the small Indian Ocean nation in the FIFA rankings and had to toil hard for the victory in rainy conditions at Rabat's Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium.
Nervy Start and Missed Chances
The hosts missed an first-half penalty and were locked at 0-0 at half-time even with dominating possession, eventually opening the scoring in the 55th minute.
The goal arrived after Noussair Mazraoui did well to prevent the ball from going out before slipping it square for Brahim Díaz to calmly pass home.
“The first match is never easy but we improved in the second half,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui.
The Substitute's Piece of Brilliance
The tension was then eased by a piece of pure individual brilliance from Ayoub El Kaabi. Only ten minutes after his introduction, the forward met a cross with a spectacular overhead kick in the 74th minute, doubling and sealing the win.
Before that, the hosts could have been ahead in the 11th minute when a spot-kick was awarded for a challenge on Brahim Díaz. However, Rahimi's penalty was kept out by Comoros goalkeeper Pandor.
Comoros Resistance and Second-Half Chance
The underdogs stoutly defended against their more illustrious opponents for long periods until the Moroccans' superior firepower in the end told.
Shot-stopper Yannick Pandor pulled off several further fine saves to keep down the scoreline as the match progressed, even though Comoros did have a clear opportunity for an equaliser shortly after the first goal, with Saïd shooting straight at keeper Yassine Bounou.
Injury Concern for Hosts
The three points was somewhat marred by an apparent injury to the skipper, Romain Saïss, who was forced off after the 18th minute apparently in tears.
The centre-back had only returned to the international setup recently following a year’s layoff caused by ankle surgery.
The win continues Morocco's record-breaking run of successive victories to 19, surpassing the old best of 15 set by Spain between 2008 and 2009.
