Morocco underlined their status as one of the favorites for the 2025 African Cup of Nations tournament with a comfortable 2-0 win over Comoros on Sunday at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, SportPremi Reports.
Real Madrid winger Brahim Diaz scored the first goal of the tournament, before substitute Ayoub El Kaabi added a superb second to give the Atlas Lions the best start to their home tournament.
The host nation are top of group A so far and a victory in their next clash against Mali next Friday will seal their spot in the knockout stages.
Diaz opens AFCON 2025 account as Morocco seal opening day win
The 2025 edition of the African Cup of Nations commenced with a glamorous opening ceremony, before Morocco and Comoros came out on the pitch to open proceedings.
Achraf Hakimi, who only returned from an ankle problem, started the game on the bench with Walid Regragui opting to rest the talisman for other matches.
Morocco were handed an early chance to open the scoring after a penalty kick was awarded after Iyad Mohamed was adjudged to have fouled Brahim Diaz in the area.
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However, Soufiane Rahimi’s effort from 12 yards was saved by the Comoros goalkeeper, who kept the scores level.
Romain Saiss then went off with injury as the Atlas Lions were dealt another blow few minutes into the match.
The hosts dominated possession, but struggled to break down an organized Comoros defense in a frantic first half.
Diaz however opened scoring in the second half, latching on to a cross from Mazraoui and firing into the back of the net.
Yassine Bounou then produced an excellent save to prevent Comoros from finding an equalizer, before Pandor denied Morocco a second with a stunning double save.
The Comoros goalkeeper could not prevent what happened next as Morocco grabbed their second in spectacular fashion.
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El Kaabi, who had come on earlier, produced a superb overhead kick and an early goal of the tournament contender to score past Pandor.
The game ended 2-0 to the host nation, who made a winning start and sent strong warning to the rest of the participants.
Players Ratings:
Morocco Players Ratings
- Bounou – 7.8
- Mazraoui – 8.1
- Aguerd – 7.3
- Saiss – 6.4
- Salah-Eddine – 8.2
- Ounahi – 7.4
- Amrabat – 7.8
- Saibari – 6.8
- Diaz – 8.3
- Rahimi – 6.0
- El Aynaoui – 7.8
Substitutes
- El Yamiq – 7.0
- Ezzalzouli – 6.7
- El Kaabi – 7.5
- El Khannouss – 6.0
- En-Nesryi – 6.5
Comoros Players Ratings
- Pandor – 7.6
- Boura – 5.7
- Kari – 6.2
- Soilihi – 6.2
- Toibibou – 6.0
- Youssouf – 6.5
- Selemani – 7.1
- M’Changama – 6.4
- Mohamed – 5.4
- Youssouf – 6.3
- Said – 6.3
Substitutes
- Abdallah – 6.2
- Bakari – 6.6
- M’Dahoma – 5.9
- Bourhane – 6.3
Man of the match
Brahim Diaz (8.3/10) – The Morocco forward led from the front and broke the deadlock with a sweet finish. He had two shots on target in the game and also completed 100% of his dribbles.
Key Stats
Ball Possession: Morocco 70% – 30% Comoros
Total Shots: Morocco 16 – 4 Comoros
Shots on target: Morocco 7 – 2 Comoros
Pass Accuracy: Morocco 90% – 76% Comoros
Corners: Morocco 5 – 0 Comoros
What Next?
Morocco will face Mali in their next clash on the 26th, before concluding group action against Zambia on the 29th.
Comoros, meanwhile, face Zambia in their second clash on the 26th and clash against Mali on the 29th in their final group A clash.
