DIAZ SEALS MOROCCO’S AFCON QUARTER-FINAL SPOT
Read Time:2 Minute, 17 Second
By: Balogun Ibrahim
Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz continued his impressive scoring form at the Africa Cup of Nations, netting the decisive goal as Morocco secured a 1-0 win over Tanzania to book a place in the quarter-finals in Rabat on Sunday.
Diaz found the back of the net in all three group-stage matches, and his 64th-minute goal against Tanzania etched his name into the record books, making him the first Moroccan to score in four successive Africa Cup of Nations matches.
The goal came after Morocco missed several scoring opportunities, extending their unbeaten streak in competitive and friendly matches to 23 games, their last defeat having come against South Africa at the 2024 AFCON.
READ MORE:
In the quarter-finals on Friday, Morocco will face the winner of the South Africa vs. Cameroon clash, set to take place later on Sunday at another venue in Rabat.
Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi provided the assist for Diaz’s decisive goal, marking his first start of the tournament after appearing as a substitute in Morocco’s win over Zambia last Monday.
Morocco entered the match as clear favourites, boosted by home advantage, the support of nearly 70,000 fans, and a world ranking 101 places higher than Tanzania.
However, Tanzania created the game’s first opportunity in the third minute, when Saimon Msuva failed to connect properly with a cross from Selemani Mwalimu.
Morocco thought they had taken the lead in the 15th minute as Ismael Saibari headed Abdessamad Ezzalzouli’s free-kick past goalkeeper Hussein Masaranga.
However, the assistant referee flagged for offside, and a VAR review confirmed that the PSV striker had advanced beyond the permitted position.
Ayoub El Kaabi was the next Moroccan to threaten, sending a header over the bar before sustaining an injury in a clash with Masaranga; both players returned after treatment.
Morocco continued to press, with a Diaz effort sailing over from the edge of the box and another header from El Kaabi going wide, but the first half ended 0-0.
The second half began with end-to-end action as Ezzalzouli and El Kaabi both headed wide, before Tanzania mounted a rare attack, with Feisal ‘Fei Toto’ Salum shooting over with only goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to beat.
As Morocco intensified their pressure, Hakimi rattled the crossbar with a fierce free-kick from just outside the box on the hour mark.
The breakthrough eventually came, combining the efforts of Hakimi and Diaz. The PSG full-back delivered a precise pass to Diaz, who slotted the ball past Masaranga at the near post with a sharp angled shot from close range.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0