With a 1-0 victory over Tanzania in Rabat on Sunday, Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz scored to keep his goal-a-game record at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Diaz became the first Moroccan to score in four consecutive AFCON matches when he scored once in each of the three group matches in 64th minute against the Tanzanians.
Read more about Senegal’s victory over Sudan in the AFCON Quarter-Finals in 2025.
Morocco added to its unbeaten run in friendly and competitive games by wasting numerous chances to score the winning goal. South Africa lost last at the AFCON in 2024, losing to them.
In the quarter-finals on Friday, Morocco will face South Africa or Cameroon, who will meet later on Sunday at a different Rabat location.
Achraf Hakimi, a Paris Saint-Germain defender, made his debut in the tournament by scoring the winner for Diaz in the final-16 match of the match last Monday.
The 2025 African player of the year was a serious ankle injury that PSG suffered two months ago when they played Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
However, Azzedine Ounahi, who was wearing a medical boot on his left foot when he arrived at the stadium, was unarmed. In the middle, Bilal El Khannouss replaced him.
Morocco were the favorites for a number of reasons, including having a large fan base and being 101 places above Tanzania in the world rankings.
First chance –
However, Saimon Msuva misconnected with a Selemani Mwalimu cross in the third minute to give Tanzania the first chance.
After 15 minutes, Hussein Masaranga’s goalkeeper was denied by Ismael Saibari who headed a free-kick from Abdessamad Ezzalzouli into the net.
The assistant referee raised his flag for offside right away, and a VAR analysis revealed that the PSV striker had veered too far forward.
The Moroccan who came closest to hitting Masaranga was Ayoub El Kaabi, who was the next to suffer a broken leg. After receiving treatment, both players resumed.
As the host nation continued to look for the opening goal, but the first half ended goalless, Diaz’s shot was too high from the edge of the box and El Kaabi headed wide.
Ezzalzouli and El Kaabi made a lively first period start, and Feisal’s “Fei Toto” Salum fired over in a remarkably Tanzanian raid with only goalkeeper Yassine Bounou on the scoresheet.
On the hour mark, Hakimi rifled a free-kick past the crossbar just outside the box as Moroccan pressure increased.
A goal came thanks to Hakimi and Diaz, which seemed unavoidable given the host nation’s relentless pressure.
Source: Channels TV
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