Tournament host Morocco booked their place in the last eight at the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament, after recording a hard-fought 1-0 win over Tanzania in Rabat, SportPremi Reports.
Brahim Diaz scored the only goal of the match in the second half as the Atlas Lions advanced to the quarterfinals of their home event.
Diaz second half strike seals Morocco win
Morocco had finished top of Group A with two wins and one draw, while Tanzania qualified after finishing third behind Nigeria and Tunisia in Group C.
The Atlas Lions suffered a major blow ahead of the match as midfielder Azzedine Ounahi was ruled out before the match.
It was the underdogs who had the first big chance of the clash as Simon Msuva headed over from a promising position.
The home side dominated possession and thought they had scored in the 15th minute through Ismael Saibari, but the goal was ruled out by VAR for offside in the buildup.
The Atlas Lions struggled to test Masalanga in the Tanzania goal as the first half ended goalless with much to play for in the second.
Achraf Hakimi, making his first start of the tournament struck the crossbar with a freekick attempt around the hour mark, before Morocco finally took the lead four minutes later.
Brahim Diaz produced a fine finish after a pass from Hakimi to break the deadlock and score his fourth of the tournament and paid tribute to the injured Ounahi.
The match ended 1-0 in favour of Morocco, who progress to the next round, while Tanzania’s journey at the tournament comes to an end.
Players Ratings:
Morocco Players Ratings
- Bounou – 7.4/10
- Hakimi – 8.4/10
- Aguerd – 7.8/10
- Masina – 7.3/10
- Mazraoui – 7.5/10
- El Khannouss – 7.8/10
- El Aynaoui – 7.1/10
- Saibari – 7.3/10
- Diaz – 7.5/10
- El Kaabi – 6.8/10
- Ezzalzouli – 8.1/10
Substitutes
- Salah-Eddine – 6.0/10
- Ben Seghir – 6.3/10
- En-Nesyri – 6.0/10
Tanzania Players Ratings
- Masaranga – 6.7/10
- Hamad – 7.5/10
- Mwamnyeto – 6.2/10
- Job – 6.2/10
- Husseini – 6.4/10
- Miroshi – 6.3/10
- Msanga – 6.6/10
- Mnoga – 4.9/10
- Salum – 6.1/10
- Msuva – 5.8/10
- Mwalimu – 5.9/10
Substitutes
- Samatta – 5.8/10
- Kapombe – 6.2/10
- M’Mombwa – 5.9/10
- Allarakhia – 6.1/10
- Nado – n/a
Man of the match
Achraf Hakimi (8.4/10) – The PSG defender made his first start of the tournament and provided the assist for the only goal of the match.
Key Stats
Ball Possession: Morocco 71% – 29% Tanzania
Total Shots: Morocco 12 – 4 Tanzania
Shots on target: Morocco 4 – 1 Tanzania
Pass Accuracy: Morocco 88% – 76% Tanzania
Corners: Morocco 4- 0 Tanzania
What Next?
Morocco will now face the winner of the Round of 16 clash between South Africa and Cameroon later today in the quarterfinals, which will hold on the 9th of January.
