Morocco defeated Gabon 2-0 on Thursday evening at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, making a winning start to their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a victory in the opening round of Group A.
From the opening whistle by South African referee Tom Abongile, Morocco pressed the Gabonese penalty area in search of an early goal, but the “Panthers” held firm in defense.
As the minutes passed, Morocco continued to threaten, and their efforts paid off in the 36th minute when Noussair Mazraoui opened the scoring with an individual effort.
Morocco then pushed for a second goal, but the score remained unchanged at half-time, with the Atlas Lions holding a narrow lead over the Panthers.
After the break, Morocco maintained the pressure on the Gabonese defense as they looked to extend their lead.
In the 84th minute, Sofiane Rahimi doubled Morocco’s advantage to make it 2-0.
For this opener, National coach Mohamed Ouahbi called up 29 players, including the return of Nayef Aguerd and several young players, notably Soufiane El-Faouzi, Yassir Zabiri, Tawfik Bentayeb and Abdellah Ouazane.
The team had however to cope with several absences, namely Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari who were suspended for the game, while Ayoub El Kaabi and Chadi Riad were sidelined with injuries.
The Friday win gives Morocco three points at the top of Group A, ahead of Niger on goal difference. Lesotho are third without a point, level with Gabon but ahead of them on goal difference.
Morocco will next face Lesotho on Tuesday, September 29, in South Africa in their second match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The final tournament of AFCON 2027 is scheduled to take place from June 19 to July 17, 2027, in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
In the live FIFA men’s ranking of this Friday, the Atlas Lions overtake Brazil, the five-time world champions, to reclaim fifth place in FIFA ranking.
The move matches Morocco’s highest-ever position and the best ranking previously reached by an African national team.
