Morocco kicked off the Africa Cup of Nations with a definitive 2-0 victory over Comoros on Sunday. Ayoub El Kaabi’s stunning bicycle kick goal in the second half stole the spotlight.
In the 74th minute, with Morocco already leading 1-0, Anass Salah-Eddine delivered a perfectly timed pass into the penalty area. El Kaabi soared to connect with the ball via an acrobatic bicycle kick from the center of the box.
Watch the spectacular strike below:
This goal reinforced Morocco’s dominance throughout the match, controlling 70% of possession and registered 16 shots compared to Comoros’ four. However, the match had its challenges for the hosts. An early penalty taken by Soufiane Rahimi was expertly saved by Comoros goalkeeper Yannick Pandor in the 11th minute. Additionally, Romain Saiss had to leave the field due to injury in the 19th minute.
Morocco finally found their footing and broke the deadlock in the 55th minute with a goal from Brahim Diaz. Noussair Mazraoui set up Diaz, who skillfully finished from close range. This performance marked an impressive debut for Diaz in his first international tournament after switching nationalities from Spain to Morocco in 2024.
“The opening game is always challenging, but we found our rhythm in the second half,” remarked Morocco’s head coach Walid Regragui following the match.
Currently, Morocco leads Group A, with Mali and Zambia slated to clash on Monday to wrap up the first round of matches in the group. Morocco’s next challenge is against Mali on Friday, with their final group match set against Zambia on December 29.
Morocco made history by being the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals in 2022. They are now aiming for their first Africa Cup of Nations title since 1976. With this win, they extend their outstanding unbeaten streak to 19 matches, surpassing Spain’s previous record of 15 wins from 2008 to 2009.
