AFCON 2025: Hosts Morocco Overcome Comoros With 2–0 Win in Nervy Opener

Hosts Morocco opened their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a hard-fought 2–0 victory over a resilient Comoros side on Sunday night at the rain-soaked Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

The Atlas Lions, cheered on by more than 60,000 fans, were made to work for the win despite dominating possession. Morocco missed an early chance to take the lead when Soufiane Rahimi saw his 11th-minute penalty saved by Comoros goalkeeper Yannick Pandor, who guessed correctly and kept the score level.

Comoros frustrated the hosts for much of the first half, sitting deep and defending in numbers. It took until the 55th minute for Morocco to finally break through, with Brahim Díaz calmly finishing from close range after being left unmarked to meet Noussair Mazraoui’s low cross. The Real Madrid forward, Morocco’s top scorer in qualifying, sent the home fans into a frenzy as he celebrated his seventh Afcon qualifying goal.

The match opened up shortly afterward, with Yassine Bounou denying Comoros forward Rafiki Said, before Pandor produced another impressive save from Mazraoui at the other end.

Morocco eventually sealed the win through substitute Ayoub El Kaabi, who produced a stunning overhead kick in the 74th minute to make it 2–0 and secure the three points. The Olympiacos striker’s acrobatic effort is already being tipped as an early contender for goal of the tournament.

Watch El-Kaabi's goal

Walid Regragui’s men were without their talismanic captain Achraf Hakimi, who started on the bench following an ankle injury sustained in November. The hosts also lost veteran defender Romain Saiss to an early injury scare, raising concerns ahead of tougher games to come.

The victory extends Morocco’s world-record run of consecutive wins to 19, setting a confident tone as they chase their first Afcon title since 1976. Their next test comes on Friday against Mali, a significantly stronger opponent.

Group A action continues on Monday, with Mali facing Zambia, while Egypt and South Africa open their campaigns in Group B.

With Morocco hosting the tournament and investing heavily in football development and infrastructure, national expectations remain sky-high. Regragui has openly admitted that “anything other than victory will be a failure.”

For now, the Atlas Lions have avoided an opening-day upset — but the real challenges begin soon.