Morocco opened the Africa Cup of Nations in style with a 2-0 win over Comoros on Sunday, with Ayoub El Kaabi’s second-half goal serving as the highlight of the match.
In the 74th minute and already boasting a 1-0 lead, Anass Salah-Eddine sent a ball over the top into the penalty area, where El Kaabi was making a run. El Kaabi then leapt into the air for a bicycle kick, executing the acrobatic attempt from the center of the box.
Watch the strike below:
The goal ensured tournament hosts Morocco would have a scoreline that matched their dominance against Comoros, against whom they had 70% possession and outshot 16 to four. The match did not get off to the smoothest start for Morocco, though – Soufiane Rahimi had his penalty saved by Comoros goalkeeper Yannick Pandor in the 11th minute, while center back Romain Saiss came off with an injury in the 19th minute.
Morocco eventually had the opening goal of the game in the 55th minute courtesy of Brahim Diaz. Noussair Mazraoui sent the ball Diaz’s way and the Real Madrid player came up with a quick finish from close range, a strong start for him in his first international tournament since switching nationalities from Spain to Morocco in 2024.
“The opening game is always difficult but we came good in the second half,” Morocco head coach Walid Regragui said after the match.
The hosts currently top Group A, with Mali and Zambia set to face off on Monday to complete the first round of matches in that group. Morocco next face Mali on Friday before wrapping up group play against Zambia on Dec. 29.
Morocco, who were the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals with their deep run in 2022, target their first Africa Cup of Nations title since 1976. They are now on a 19 match winning streak, extending a record-breaking streak for a national team after surpassing Spain’s total of 15 wins from 2008 to 2009.
