Morocco began their CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025 campaign with a decisive 2–0 victory over a brave Comoros side in front of a capacity crowd at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on Sunday night.
Second-half goals from Brahim Díaz and Ayoub El Kaabi were enough to settle a contest that proved far more demanding than the scoreline suggested, as the hosts were forced to remain patient against a resilient Comorian side determined to spoil the party.
Morocco dominated possession from the outset, circulating the ball with confidence and pinning Comoros deep inside their own half. Yet clear chances were scarce early on, with the visitors defending compactly and contesting every duel.
The first warning came inside five minutes when Selemani pounced on a loose touch in the Moroccan box, reminding the hosts of the fine margins on opening night.
The Atlas Lions thought they had an early breakthrough when Brahim Díaz burst into the area and won a penalty, but Yannick Pandor guessed correctly to deny Soufiane Rahimi from the spot.
Despite their territorial control, Walid Regragui’s side went into the interval level, frustrated by a well-drilled Comorian back line.
The breakthrough finally arrived ten minutes after the restart. A sweeping move down the left ended with Noussair Mazraoui drilling a low cross into the box, where Brahim Díaz arrived with perfect timing to guide a composed finish beyond Pandor and ignite celebrations inside the stadium.
With the pressure lifted, Morocco played with greater freedom. Comoros continued to battle, but gaps began to appear.
The decisive moment came in the 73rd minute when Ayoub El Kaabi, introduced to add cutting edge, produced a moment of brilliance – meeting a delivery from Salah-Eddine with an acrobatic overhead kick that left the goalkeeper rooted and sealed the points.
“We have been preparing for this game for a year and a half. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We had a bad start; with the missed penalty and the injury-forced exit of Romain Saïss. At half-time, I wasn’t very satisfied with the team, and we spoke to put certain adjustments in place, which the players applied very quickly,” Regragui said after the match.
