Morocco vs Comoros: AFCON Opener Decided by Bicycle Kick

Host country Morocco won the opening match of the Africa Cup with some difficulty against the Comoros: 2-0. National coach Walid Regragui’s team barely managed to get through the defense, but a powerful bicycle kick from substitute Ayoub El Kaabi made the decision.

Despite the pouring rain, the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium (capacity almost 70,000 spectators) was almost full. They all wanted to catch a glimpse of the first step towards the title in the capital of Morocco.

Because Morocco is the big favorite for the final win with top players such as Brahim Díaz of Real Madrid and Azzedine Ounahi of Girona. PSV players Anass Salah-Eddine and Ismael Saibari were also in the starting line-up, as were Noussair Mazraoui (former Ajax) and Sofyan Amrabat (former FC Utrecht and Feyenoord).

Captain Achraf Hakimi was on the bench, the Paris Saint-Germain star is still recovering from an injury. Romain Saïss replaced him as captain, but the 35-year-old defender left the field in tears after just 18 minutes due to a hamstring injury.

Moments earlier, the ball had hit the spot, after a very minor foul on Díaz. But Soufiane Rahimi, striker of Al Ain from the United Arab Emirates, ran into the legs of the Comoros goalkeeper.

For the Comoros archipelago, this was only the second participation in the African country tournament. The team finished first in the qualifying group, ahead of Madagascar, but also ahead of strong Tunisia, the Dutch team’s opponent at the World Cup next summer.

The Comoros did not do much in terms of football, but defensively the number 108 in the FIFA rankings held up well. That is why Morocco mainly looked to the sides for the cross. Díaz almost walked into one. But scoring was not that easy for Regragui’s men. The pace was too slow for that.

Typical: just before half time, Hakimi sat in the dug-out with a straight face and his hands folded. The tension started to increase. And despite 52 minutes in the first half, no goal was scored. And so the Moroccans went to the dressing room amid a stirring flute concert. The pressure is immense for the Moroccan team, that much is clear.

In the second half, in addition to committing fouls, the Comoros also started wasting time, but now Morocco finally found the goal: Mazraoui placed a low cross between everything and everyone, after which Díaz pulled the trigger.

However, Morocco was not yet finished with the Comoros, with Saïd Bakari (defender of Sparta Rotterdam) coming on. The fast striker Rafiki Saïd almost slipped past goalkeeper Yassine Bounou on the counter and a shot from about 35 meters from 35-year-old captain Youssouf M’Changama almost sailed into the intersection.

But then Ayoub El Kaabi came on. The striker turned in an early cross from Salah-Eddine with an almost perfect bicycle kick. And so Morocco could breathe a sigh of relief.

The country will play against Mali on Friday. The third match of the group stage against Zambia will take place a week from Monday.