El Kaabi's Spectacular Strike Caps Morocco's Win Against Comoros in Africa Cup of Nations First Game.
The Morocco shook off a jittery beginning to defeat Comoros in the competition's opening game on Sunday, thanks to the Real Madrid attacker and substitute El Kaabi in the latter period.
It was a far from convincing 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 points in wet conditions at the national stadium.
Tense Start and Missed Chances
Morocco failed to convert an early penalty and were locked at 0-0 at the interval even with controlling the ball, eventually opening the scoring in the 55th minute.
It came when full-back Mazraoui showed great skill to prevent the ball from going out before slipping it across for Díaz to sidefoot home.
“The opening game is invariably tough but we came good in the second half,” said manager Walid Regragui.
El Kaabi's Moment of Brilliance
The tension was subsequently extinguished by a piece of sheer individual brilliance from Ayoub El Kaabi. Just ten minutes after his introduction, the striker met a cross with a acrobatic overhead kick in the 74th minute, making it two and ensuring the win.
Earlier in the match, the Moroccan team could have been ahead in the 11th minute when a spot-kick was given for a challenge on Díaz. However, Rahimi's effort was kept out by Comoros goalkeeper Yannick Pandor.
Comoros Resistance and Late Chance
The underdogs comfortably held their more illustrious opponents for long periods before the hosts' greater quality eventually told.
Shot-stopper Pandor pulled off several other good stops to limit the scoreline as the match wore on, although his team created a clear opportunity for an equaliser shortly following Díaz's goal, with Rafiki Saïd shooting straight at keeper Yassine Bounou.
Injury Concern for Morocco
The victory was somewhat marred by an apparent injury to Morocco's captain, Romain Saïss, who limped off in the 18th minute apparently in tears.
The defender had only made his comeback to the national side last month following a lengthy absence caused by ankle surgery.
The win extends Morocco's record-breaking run of consecutive wins to nineteen, beating the previous record of 15 set by Spain between 2008 and 2009.
