El Kaabi's Spectacular Goal Caps Morocco's Triumph Over the Coelacanths in Afcon Opening Match.
The Morocco shook off a anxious start to overcome Comoros in the competition's inaugural fixture on the weekend, after strikes by the Real Madrid attacker and substitute Ayoub El Kaabi in the second half.
It was a far from convincing performance, however, from the highly fancied Moroccans, who sit 97 places higher than the small island nation in the FIFA rankings and were forced to toil hard for the victory in wet conditions at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium.
Tense Start and Spurned Chances
The hosts missed an first-half penalty and were goalless at the interval even with controlling the ball, finally breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute.
The goal arrived after Noussair Mazraoui did well to prevent the ball from going out before slipping it across for Brahim Díaz to calmly pass home.
Every opening game is invariably tough but we came good in the second half,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui.
The Substitute's Moment of Magic
The tension was subsequently extinguished by a moment of pure genius from substitute El Kaabi. Just ten minutes following his introduction, the striker met a ball into the box with a acrobatic bicycle kick in the 74th minute, doubling and sealing the win.
Earlier in the match, the Moroccan team could have been the lead in the 11th minute when a spot-kick was given for a foul on Díaz. Yet, Rahimi's effort was saved by keeper Yannick Pandor.
The Visitors' Resistance and Second-Half Chance
The underdogs comfortably held their more illustrious opponents for long periods before the hosts' individual talent eventually told.
Goalkeeper Pandor made a number of other good stops to keep down the scoreline as the match wore on, even though Comoros created a chance for an equaliser shortly following Díaz's goal, with Rafiki Saïd firing straight at keeper Yassine Bounou.
Injury Worry for Morocco
The victory was somewhat overshadowed by an injury to Morocco's skipper, Romain Saïss, who limped off in the 18th minute apparently in some distress.
This defender had only made his comeback to the national side last month after a lengthy absence due to ankle surgery.
The win extends the team's historic run of consecutive wins to nineteen, surpassing the old record of 15 set by the Spanish national team between 2008 and 2009.
