El Kaabi's Spectacular Goal Caps The Atlas Lions' Victory Over Comoros in Africa Cup of Nations Opener.
The the Moroccan side shook off a nervy start to overcome their island opponents in the competition's opening game on Sunday, with goals from the Real Madrid attacker and substitute El Kaabi in the second half.
This constituted a hardly emphatic performance, however, from the heavily tipped hosts, who are ranked 97 places higher than the small Indian Ocean nation in the FIFA rankings and had to toil hard for the victory in rainy conditions at Rabat's national stadium.
Nervy Beginning and Missed Chances
Morocco missed an early penalty and were locked at 0-0 at the interval despite controlling possession, finally opening the scoring in the 55th minute.
It arrived after Noussair Mazraoui showed great skill to keep the ball in play before slipping it square for Brahim Díaz to sidefoot home.
“The opening game is always difficult but we improved in the second half,” commented Morocco coach Regragui.
The Substitute's Moment of Magic
Any lingering nerves was then extinguished by a moment of pure genius from substitute El Kaabi. Just ten minutes after his introduction, the forward met a cross with a spectacular overhead kick in the 74th minute, doubling and sealing the result.
Before that, the hosts might have taken ahead in the 11th minute after a spot-kick was given for a challenge on Brahim Díaz. Yet, Soufiane Rahimi penalty was saved by Comoros goalkeeper Yannick Pandor.
Comoros Defiant Stand and Second-Half Chance
Comoros comfortably held Morocco for long periods until the hosts' greater quality in the end made the difference.
Shot-stopper Pandor pulled off several further fine saves to limit the scoreline as the game wore on, even though Comoros created a clear opportunity for an equaliser shortly after the first goal, with Rafiki Saïd firing straight at keeper Bounou.
Injury Worry for Hosts
The three points was somewhat overshadowed by an apparent injury to Morocco's skipper, Romain Saïss, who limped off after the 18th minute in tears.
This defender had only returned to the international setup last month following a lengthy absence due to ankle surgery.
The win extends Morocco's record-breaking run of consecutive victories to 19, surpassing the previous best of 15 set by the Spanish national team from 2008 and 2009.
