El Kaabi's Spectacular Strike Caps Morocco's Victory Over the Coelacanths in Afcon Opening Match.
The the Moroccan side overcame a jittery start to defeat their island opponents in the competition's first match on the weekend, after strikes by the Real Madrid attacker and substitute Ayoub El Kaabi in the second half.
This constituted a far from convincing performance, though, from the heavily tipped hosts, who are ranked 97 places higher than the small Indian Ocean nation in the FIFA rankings and were forced to toil hard for the three points in wet conditions at Rabat's Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium.
Nervy Start and Missed Chances
Morocco missed an first-half penalty and were goalless at half-time despite dominating possession, finally breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute.
The goal came when Noussair Mazraoui showed great skill to prevent the ball from going out before laying it across for Brahim Díaz to calmly pass into the net.
“The opening game is always difficult but we came good in the second period,” said manager Walid Regragui.
El Kaabi's Piece of Brilliance
The tension was then calmed by a moment of sheer individual brilliance from substitute El Kaabi. Only 10 minutes following his introduction, the forward met a ball into the box with a acrobatic overhead kick in the 74th minute, doubling and ensuring the result.
Earlier in the match, the Moroccan team might have taken the lead in the 11th minute after a spot-kick was awarded for a foul on Brahim Díaz. Yet, Rahimi's penalty was kept out by Comoros goalkeeper Pandor.
The Visitors' Resistance and Late Opportunity
The underdogs comfortably held Morocco for long periods before the hosts' superior firepower eventually told.
Goalkeeper Yannick Pandor made several further fine saves to keep down the score as the match progressed, even though Comoros created a clear opportunity for an equalizer shortly following the first goal, with Rafiki Saïd shooting directly into Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Injury Worry for Morocco
The victory was partially marred by an injury to Morocco's captain, Romain Saïss, who limped off after the 18th minute apparently in tears.
This defender had just made his comeback to the national side recently following a lengthy layoff caused by a serious ankle operation.
This result continues Morocco's historic run of consecutive victories to nineteen, beating the previous best of 15 set by Spain between 2008 and 2009.
