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Rabat – After securing its spot in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations last March, Morocco’s national team has started its preparations for the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers with a 1-0 win over Ghana thanks to a Jaouad El Yamiq header.
The match saw the first appearance of Wydad Casablanca’s Ayoub El Amloud. Hakim Ziyech, meanwhile, started on the bench.
Vahid Halilhodzic, Morocco’s head coach, made some changes to his starting line-up as well as to the team’s usual tactics. The Bosnian head coach started today’s game with a 3-5-2 formation.
The defensive line was composed of Wolverhampton’s Ghanem Saiss, Rennes’ Nayef Aguerd, and Real Vallodolid’s Jaouad El Yamiq with Inter’s Achraf Hakimi as a right fullback and Wydad Casablanca’s Ayoub El Amloud as a left fullback.
Tonight, the Moroccan team maintained possession of the ball for the majority of the first half. However, faced with a strong and well-placed Ghanian defensive line, the Moroccan squad was unable to translate its possession into dangerous opportunities.
The only significant goal opportunity was Ghanem Saiss’s header which hit the crossbar.
In the second half and only one minute after he got to the pitch, Chelsea’s star Hakim Ziyech played a free-kick which was mishandled by Ghana’s goalkeeper. Defender Jaouad El Yamiq took advantage of the Ghanian goalkeeper’s mistake to score the only goal of the game in the 68th minute.
Right after Morocco’s goal, the Ghanian team tried to respond with a long-range shot from Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus in the 70th minute. But the ball found in its way goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who has been in magnificent form with Sevilla FC.
The last 15 minutes of the game saw the first appearance of the newly-called Ilias Chair, Queens Park Rangers midfielder, along with the participation of Wydad Casablanca’s Yahya Jabrane and Ayoub El Kaabi.
The Atlas Lions are set to face Burkina Faso in a second friendly this Saturday.
