Morocco open AFCON Campaign with commanding win over Comoros

By Femi Fabunmi, Morocco

Hosts Morocco national football team launched their Africa Cup of Nations campaign in authoritative fashion on Saturday night, brushing aside Comoros national football team 2–0 in a Group A opener that underlined their title credentials at the 1XBET Africa Cup of Nations.

Backed by a buoyant home crowd, Morocco imposed themselves from the opening whistle, dominating possession and territory while probing patiently for openings against a compact Comoros defence.

The pressure told early when the Atlas Lions were awarded a penalty inside 11 minutes after a foul in the area, but Soufiane Rahimi’s spot-kick was smartly saved by Comoros goalkeeper Yannick Pandor, briefly lifting the underdogs’ hopes.

That miss did little to dent Morocco’s rhythm. Walid Regragui’s side continued to circulate the ball crisply, with Sofyan Amrabat and Azzedine Ounahi dictating the tempo in midfield as Morocco recorded overwhelming possession figures and pinned Comoros deep in their half. Comoros, however, showed flashes of ambition, stringing together neat passing sequences and threatening sporadically on the break.

The breakthrough eventually arrived 10 minutes into the second half. Brahim Díaz, lively throughout the contest, collected a measured pass on the edge of the area and rifled a low shot beyond Pandor to open the scoring and ignite celebrations in the stands. The goal reflected Morocco’s superiority, with the hosts already leading comfortably in shots on target.

Comoros attempted to respond with renewed urgency, and nearly found an equaliser when Ahmed Soilihi rose to meet a well-delivered free kick late on, his header skimming just wide of the post. That moment aside, Morocco remained largely in control, absorbing pressure calmly before striking again to seal the points.

In the 74th minute, substitute Ayoub El Kaabi doubled the advantage with a moment of acrobatic brilliance, expertly converting a lofted delivery into the net to cap a fluent team move. The goal extinguished any lingering Comoros resistance and allowed Morocco to see out the contest with assured game management.

The match was not without its physical edge, as both sides committed a high number of fouls and several yellow cards were shown, including bookings for Sofyan Amrabat and Jawad El Yamiq. Morocco were also forced into an early defensive reshuffle after captain Romain Saïss departed with an injury in the first half.

Statistically, the gulf between the teams was clear. Morocco enjoyed close to 80 per cent possession for long spells and registered 13 shots on target compared with Comoros’ three, underscoring the hosts’ control even on a night when they missed a penalty and faced brief spells of resistance.