Morocco's national team overcame an anxious start to defeat their counterpart, the Comoros national team, 2-0 at the opening of the 35th African Nations Cup football competition.
At the Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, and in the presence of the Crown Prince of Morocco, Morocco initiated the scoring through Brahim Diaz at the 55th minute after a long pass inside the penalty area from Sofyan Amrabat was controlled by Noussair Mazraoui, who then passed it to Diaz who shot it directly into the net of the Comoros' goalkeeper.
Morocco doubled their lead in the 74th minute when Anas Salaheddine sent a superb pass to his teammate Ayoub El Kaabi, who concluded it with a double backflip into the net.
Morocco topped Group A with 3 points while Comoros remained without any points.
Following a spectacular opening ceremony, the Moroccan team applied early pressure, with the Comoros team falling back defensively.
At the ninth minute, Diaz was awarded a penalty, executed by Sofyan Rahimi, but the goalkeeper Yanick Bandor saved it, preventing Morocco from scoring early.
The home team continued their attempts during the first half, but the defensive organization of the Comoros team prevented them from reaching the goal.
In the 43rd minute, referee Jean Jacques Ndala from the Democratic Republic of the Congo turned to video assistant referee technology to review a penalty decision for Morocco but decided not to award it, which sparked protests from the Moroccan players, ending the first half without goals.
At the beginning of the second half, Nayel Al-Einaoui almost opened the scoring in the 48th minute following a precise cross from Anas Salaheddine inside the penalty area, but his shot went just beside the goal.
Morocco succeeded in breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute, following an attack that started from Amrabat in the midfield, before the ball reached Mazraoui on the right side, who passed a strong ground ball towards Diaz, who then shot it inside the net.
Mazraoui almost added a second goal in the 64th minute, after exchanging passes with Diaz at the edge of the penalty area, but goalkeeper Bandor intervened with difficulty to deflect his shot.
In the 74th minute, the Moroccan national team enhanced their lead with a second goal scored by El Kaabi, who finished a precise pass from the left side by Salaheddine with a backflip shot that settled into the net.
