El Kaabi's Spectacular Strike Caps Morocco's Victory Over Comoros in Africa Cup of Nations Opening Match.
The Morocco overcame a anxious start to beat Comoros in the competition's inaugural fixture on the weekend, with goals from the Real Madrid attacker and super-sub El Kaabi in the second half.
This constituted a hardly emphatic showing, though, from the heavily tipped Moroccans, who are ranked 97 places above the tiny Indian Ocean nation in the world rankings and were forced to work tirelessly for the victory in rainy conditions at Rabat's national stadium.
Tense Start and Spurned Chances
The hosts missed an early penalty and were locked at 0-0 at half-time even with dominating the ball, finally opening the scoring in the 11th minute of the second half.
The goal arrived after full-back Mazraoui did well to prevent the ball from going out before slipping it across for Díaz to calmly pass home.
“The first match is always difficult but we delivered in the second half,” commented manager Walid Regragui.
The Substitute's Moment of Brilliance
The tension was then extinguished by a moment of sheer genius from substitute El Kaabi. Only 10 minutes following his introduction, the striker met a cross with a stunning overhead kick in the 74th minute, doubling and sealing the win.
Earlier in the match, the Moroccan team might have taken the lead in the 11th minute when a penalty was given for a foul on Díaz. However, Rahimi's effort was saved by keeper Yannick Pandor.
The Visitors' Defiant Stand and Second-Half Opportunity
The underdogs comfortably held Morocco at bay before the Moroccans' superior firepower eventually told.
Goalkeeper Pandor made several further good stops to limit the scoreline as the game progressed, although Comoros created a chance for an equaliser shortly after Díaz's goal, with Saïd firing straight at keeper Yassine Bounou.
Injury Worry for Morocco
The victory was somewhat marred by an injury to Morocco's captain, Romain Saïss, who limped off after the 18th minute in some distress.
This centre-back had just returned to the national side recently following a lengthy layoff due to ankle surgery.
This result extends the team's record-breaking run of successive victories to 19, surpassing the previous best of 15 set by Spain from 2008 and 2009.
