Morocco Kicks Off Africa Cup of Nations 2025 with Win Over Comoros

Morocco Kicks Off Africa Cup of Nations 2025 with Win Over Comoros

Morocco Kicks Off Africa Cup of Nations 2025 with Win Over Comoros

Morocco, the host of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025, commenced their quest for a second continental title with a tense victory over Comoros in the tournament's opening match held in rainy Rabat.

The Atlas Lions missed a golden opportunity to take an early lead in the 11th minute when Iyad Mohamed fouled Brahim Diaz in the penalty area. However, Comoros goalkeeper Yannick Pandor made a crucial save, blocking Soufiane Rahimi's penalty with his left knee.

Comoros adopted a defensive strategy, frustrating their opponents until the 55th minute, when Diaz found himself unmarked near the penalty spot and scored from a low cross delivered by Noussair Mazraoui.

The goal elicited a loud cheer from the majority of the 60,180 fans present at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. The match intensified as Comoros forward Rafiki Said was thwarted by Yassine Bounou, while Mazraoui's subsequent attempt was expertly saved by Pandor.

Substitute Ayoub El Kaabi sealed the victory for the North Africans with a spectacular overhead kick in the 75th minute, ensuring that Walid Regragui's team met pre-match expectations with a solid win.

Notably, Morocco achieved this victory without their influential captain Achraf Hakimi, who was only fit enough to sit on the bench after sustaining an ankle injury while playing for Paris Saint-Germain in a Champions League match earlier this month. Additionally, they lost center-back Romain Saiss to injury early in the game.

This win allowed Morocco to extend their world record streak of consecutive victories to 19. However, they face a tougher challenge ahead against Mali on Friday at 20:00 GMT.

Meanwhile, three more matches are scheduled for Monday, including the West Africans facing Zambia in the second match of Group A, while Egypt and South Africa will kick off their campaigns in Group B.

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