Morocco made a composed start to their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025 campaign with a 2–0 win over Comoros at a packed Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on Sunday night.
Second-half strikes from Brahim Díaz and Ayoub El Kaabi sealed the points for the hosts, who were made to work far harder than the scoreline suggests against a disciplined and well-organised Comorian side.
From the opening whistle, the Atlas Lions controlled possession, circulating the ball confidently and pushing Comoros deep into their own half. However, clear-cut chances were limited early on as the visitors defended compactly and fought for every ball.
Comoros even threatened an early shock inside the opening five minutes when Selemani capitalised on a loose touch in the Moroccan box, serving as a reminder of the fine margins on opening night.
Morocco thought they had taken the lead midway through the first half after Brahim Díaz was brought down in the area, but Yannick Pandor produced an excellent save to deny Soufiane Rahimi from the penalty spot. The miss briefly unsettled the hosts, who continued to probe through crosses and set pieces, with Ismaël Saibari heading just wide and Azzedine Ounahi testing Pandor from distance.
Walid Regragui’s side also suffered a setback when captain Romain Saïss was forced off early following a heavy collision, disrupting the rhythm of the home side.
Despite their territorial dominance, Morocco went into the break level, frustrated by a resolute Comorian defence that held firm for 45 minutes.
The breakthrough finally came ten minutes into the second half. A flowing move down the left saw Noussair Mazraoui fire a low cross into the box, where Brahim Díaz timed his run perfectly to slot a calm finish past Pandor and lift the Rabat crowd.
With the pressure eased, Morocco played with greater freedom, while Comoros began to tire.
Spaces started to open, and the decisive moment arrived in the 73rd minute. Substitute Ayoub El Kaabi produced a moment of magic, meeting a delivery from Salah-Eddine with a stunning overhead kick that left the goalkeeper rooted and effectively ended the contest.
From there, the hosts managed the game with maturity, slowing the tempo and limiting Comoros to half-chances as the clock ran down.
