3-0: Morocco won unforced on their debut against Tanzania

Morocco, considered the great favorite for the title, debuted in the African Cup to be held in Ivory Coast with a clear victory over Tanzania (3-0).

Unlike other top teams on the continent such as Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Cameroon, Algeria or Tunisia, the ‘Atlas lion’ responded to the expectations sparked by their historic fourth place in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Walid Regragui He lined up a team full of figures like Yassine Bono, Achraf Hakimi, Sofyane Amrabat, Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri and Ez Abde, although in the first half hour he endured the intense heat (30ºC) and humidity at the Stade Laurent-Pokou in San-Pédro to get his theoretical scoreboard efficiency.

Saïss opened the can

Tanzania began to bend the knee when Ziyech surprised the goalkeeper with a free kick from 30 meters Aisha Manula he can hardly refuse and the central Romain Saiss, helpful, he pushes the ball into the net (30′). It was the third goal for the Moroccan captain, formerly of Wolverhampton and now with Al Shabab in Saudi Arabia, in 80 games with his country’s shirt.

From then on, Morocco were clearly superior against a technically limited opponent, although it did not need to force its engine to extend its advantage in the second half after wasting the En-Nesyri some chance

Roja and Morocco sentence with two purposes

In fact, after the break, Morocco gave the initiative to Tanzania, who did not have a single shot on target throughout the match. Still, it remained 1-0 until the final stretch.

In the 70th minute, Dismas Mirosh receives a second yellow card for Azzedine Ounahi and, now in superiority, Morocco sentenced with two goals in three minutes. The 2-0 was made by Ounahi himself, Marseille’s midfielder, who received from Achraf, combined with Amine Adli and referred to a low shot (77′).

The Sevilla player En-Nesyri made it 3-0 by finishing a pass from Achraf with his left foot (80′). With the game decided, Regragui took the opportunity to rest in the final moments to Ziyech, Ounahi and En-Nesyri. Tanzania is participating in an African Cup for the third time and is yet to win a match.