The Moroccan national team defeated Comoros 2-0 today, Friday, to qualify for the Round of 16 in the Africa Cup of Nations being held in Cameroon. Senegal, affected by COVID-19, drew 0-0 with Guinea in Group B. The "Atlas Lions" solidified their lead in Group C, raising their score to 6 points, while Comoros suffered their second consecutive defeat, remaining in fourth and last place without any points, ahead of the match between Ghana and Gabon scheduled for later today.
Morocco's coach, Vahid Halilhodzic, made three changes to the starting lineup that won 1-0 against Ghana in their first match, with Sofyan Amrabat replacing Sami Mnya, Ayoub El Kaabi replacing Zakaria Aboukhlal, and Tarik Tissoudali replacing Azzedine Ounahi.
The Moroccan team started aggressively, largely dominating the Comoros' half, while the latter focused on defensive roles. The pressure from the "Atlas Lions" paid off after 16 minutes when midfielder Selim Amallah, of Standard Liège, scored following a dribble past defenders and a shot that found the net despite several defenders and the goalkeeper being present.
A header from defender Nayef Aguerd hit the crossbar in the 37th minute after a corner kick taken by Sofyan Boufal from the right. Two minutes later, El Kaabi broke free on goal, dribbled past the keeper, and was preparing to shoot into an empty net, but defender Mohamed Youssouf cleared the ball for a corner. Tissoudali led a quick counterattack in the last minute of the first half but failed to communicate with his teammate El Kaabi, wasting another opportunity to extend the lead.
Missed chances continued for the Moroccan team in the second half, as Tissoudali, El Kaabi, and Boufal all failed to convert close-range attempts amid continued pressure. The Moroccan coach introduced Youssef En-Nesyri, Zakaria Aboukhlal, and Faisal Fajr in place of Tissoudali, El Kaabi, and Imran Louza, but missed more opportunities, the most notable being a penalty awarded to substitute Aboukhlal in the 83rd minute, which En-Nesyri's shot was saved by goalkeeper Salim Ben Boina, who also denied En-Nesyri one minute later when he was clear on goal. Ben Boina further thwarted Aboukhlal's difficult angle shot near the end.
After persistent misfortune and haste, substitute Aboukhlal added the second goal just before the end of the match after assistance from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
### Senegal Struggles Again
In another match, Senegal, a pre-tournament favorite affected heavily by COVID-19, failed to impress again in the Africa Cup of Nations, drawing 0-0 with Guinea in Bafoussam. However, both teams moved closer to qualifying for the Round of 16 today, sharing the group lead with 4 points after winning their opening match.
With the top two teams from each group, along with the four best third-place teams, expected to qualify, it is anticipated that 4 points will suffice for advancement to the Round of 16. Nonetheless, Senegal did not meet expectations and was hindered by the absence of 10 players.
Sadio Mané, Senegal's captain, had an early opportunity to score from a close free-kick but hit the wall. He was largely absent for long stretches in the first half, while his Liverpool teammate Naby Keita shone, pushing Guinea to attack in repeated attempts.
With a precise pass from Keita, two attackers broke through to Senegal's goal, but a first attempt by Ilaix Moriba was saved by goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, and Morgan Guilavogui failed to follow up. Senegal improved significantly after the break, with Bouna Sarr coming close to scoring from a free-kick in the 52nd minute. Four minutes later, defender Abdou Diallo headed over the bar after a free-kick, and Mané had a golden chance in the 67th minute after a pass from Sarr but shot wide.
Senegal is missing 10 players due to illness, including captain Kalidou Koulibaly and first-choice goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, who also missed the first match along with Idrissa Gueye and Fodé Ballo-Touré, who contracted the virus after their hard-fought 1-0 victory over Zimbabwe in the opening match. Senegal's coach Aliou Cissé stated, "It was a very difficult match due to the absence of many players."
Moreover, Guinea was missing four players due to being in quarantine.
