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Morocco’s Atlas Lions inaugurated their adventure in the AFCON 2021 in Cameroon today, with a precious 1-0 victory against Ghana’s Black Stars, arguably Morocco’s most formidable adversary in the group stages.
The two favorites of group C met for their AFCON entry game with eyes set on a draw or win to eventually top the group and have a more favorable draw for the next rounds.
For Morocco, meanwhile, the double label of tournament favorites and underachievers meant the Ghana game came with an opportunity to either confirm that they mean business, or provide critics more ammunition as they downplay all the excitement over the Atlas Lions’ latest statistics.
Having proven a good performance in the first round of qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the Moroccan national team largely kept the same pace in their AFCON 2021 opener.
In a pre-match press conference yesterday, Morocco’s Bosnian coach appeared to take the Ghana tussle with outsized caution as he reflected on the implications of the absence of attacking players Ryan Mmaee, Ayoub Al Kaabi, and Mounir El Haddadi, who have all spent the past week coping with health concerns.
With all these three essential players out for Morocco’s toughest group, the Moroccan coach suggested, the main task for the Atas Lions would be to play it safe and gradually announce themselves as serious contenders later on in the tournament. For now, he appeared to be saying, the goal is to claim what is needed to go to the next round.
Halilhodzic chose to start the game with a lineup of 3-5-2, notably starting his forward line with Azzedine Ounahi, Soufiane Boufal, and Zakaria Boukhlal.
The Black Stars proved a tough opponent for the Atlas Lions, but goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved the Moroccan team from going behind on many occasions when Ghana had the ball to could that would have ended the game, or at least shocked Morocco off their pedestal of tournament favorites.
Ghana has evidently come to Cameroon with an eye on their fifth title, while the Atlas Lions are looking to end a 45-year long wait for their first continental title since 1976.
The first half of the game ended with a scoreless draw but ample suggestions of both teams’ keenness to start their AFCON in style, to have the upper hand in the race to top the group.
Halilhodzic made some changes to his lineup, introducing Tarik Tissoudali for Imran Louza.
At the end of a draining match for both teams, Soufiane Boufal transfixed the Black Stars’ defense to score the game’s only goal at the 83rd minute.
Morocco, winning this jarring clash, immediately takes the lead of group C on the qualification for the round of 16. Still, the Atlas Lions will have to confirm against Gabon and Comoros, and even more so as the tournament enters the knockout stages where the Moroccan team has disappointed in past tournaments.
