Tag: AFCON

Midfielder Idrissa Gueye said his Senegal side deserved to be the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) champions, but he was ready to “hand back the medals” to Morocco if it eases tensions between the two countries.

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in extra-time in the January final in Rabat, but CAF punished them last week for their 15-minute walk-off during the match, overturning the result and awarding a 3-0 win and the title to hosts Morocco.

“I personally commit to collecting the medals and maybe giving them back to Morocco if that can ease tensions between the two countries,” Gueye told Canal+ on Saturday after his Everton side’s 3-0 win over Chelsea in the Premier League.

“It’s just ridiculous… a football match is won on the pitch, that’s what we did in Morocco.

“We did what we had to do on the pitch, we won that match.

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“We deserve to be African champions. We are the African champions as far as we’re concerned. Titles are won on the pitch, not in offices.”

Idrissa Gueye, who captained Senegal in the AFCON final in place of the suspended Kalidou Koulibaly, took issue, however, with his federation’s decision to appeal CAF’s decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“If it were up to me, I would have told the federation not to appeal,” he said.

The continent’s showpiece football final on January 18 descended into chaos when Senegal players walked off in protest after the hosts were awarded a controversial penalty late in second-half stoppage time.

Play resumed after a quarter of an hour of confusion and tension, with Senegal supporters throwing objects and trying to invade the pitch.

Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed his penalty before Senegal went on to win with a goal from Pape Gueye in extra-time.

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Senegal’s Pape Gueye opened up about his team’s walk off at the Africa Cup of Nations final and Morocco’s subsequent missed penalty in an interview on French television on Sunday.

Gueye scored the winning goal In AFCON final as Senegal edged Morocco 1-0 in extra time in a controversial game in Rabat last week.

Morocco were awarded a late penalty sparking a walk-off from the eventual winners, leading to a 20-minute delay.

When Senegal came back Brahim Diaz fluffed his penalty, while Gueye scored the winner in extra-time.

“We are only human, we realised our mistake and came back out,” said the 26-year-old midfielder Gueye.

“Anyone can make a mistake,” he added.

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Gueye praised former Liverpool star Sadio Mane, who remained on the pitch and urged his team-mates to return to the game for the penalty.

Senegal were already furious at having a goal disallowed for a soft-looking foul minutes earlier

“He found the right thing to say at the right moment and it shows just how important he is to us,” he said.

“We owe him a big thank you.”

Gueye also expressed surprise that Diaz dared attempt a panenka penalty that went badly wrong.

“It was daring and I would not have risked that myself,” he said.

The Moroccan Football Federation has formally referred the walkout and supporters’ behaviour to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which organises AFCON, and FIFA.

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Mohamed Salah made his much-anticipated return to the Liverpool squad on Tuesday following the Africa Cup of Nations as the club prepare to face Marseille in the Champions League.

A smiling Salah was put through his paces at the club’s training centre with the rest of Arne Slot’s squad ahead of Wednesday’s match in France.

The return of the Egypt forward has been a major talking point after he took aim at Liverpool in an explosive interview early last month.

Salah accused the club of throwing him “under the bus” after he was benched for three games in a row and said he had no relationship with Slot.

But he appeared as a substitute in a 2-0 Premier League win against Brighton on December 13, providing an assist, and Slot subsequently said the club had moved on from the furore.

Last week, Slot said he welcomed Salah’s return, refusing to divulge the content of his conversations with the 33-year-old, whose team finished fourth at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Slot said before Saturday’s 1-1 draw against struggling Burnley he was unsure whether the forward would face Marseille.

But on Tuesday afternoon Liverpool said Salah had been named in the 20-man squad for the trip to France.

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“Mohamed Salah is included having returned to the club after representing Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations,” a statement on the club’s official website said.

Liverpool are currently ninth in the league phase of the Champions League.

The top eight qualify automatically for the last 16 while teams placed from ninth to 24th face a play-off round.

Salah is Liverpool’s third-highest goalscorer of all time with 250 goals in 421 appearances, winning two Premier League titles and the Champions League since joining from Roma in 2017.

He signed a lucrative new two-year contract last year as he played a starring role in guiding Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title.

But he has been a shadow of his former self during Liverpool’s struggles this season, managing just five goals in all competitions.

Liverpool’s Premier League defence collapsed with a run of six defeats in seven matches starting in late September.

The club are now unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions but remain 14 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.

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Senegal stunned Morocco in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final as Pape Gueye’s goal gave them a 1-0 extra-time win over the hosts at the end of a match marred by disgraceful scenes following a controversial penalty award.

Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco when he stepped up to take the spot-kick in the 24th added minute at the end of normal time.

But Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay of almost 20 minutes that followed the penalty award.

Congolese match referee Jean-Jacques Ndala gave the penalty right at the end of the allotted eight added minutes following a VAR check for a challenge on Diaz in the box by Senegal defender El Hadji Malick Diouf.

Diaz, the rest of the Moroccan team and their bench vehemently protested to the referee to check the images, but the decision to eventually give the spot-kick was met with fury by Senegal and their fans.

As most of their players walked off the pitch, some Senegal supporters in the small section of away fans at the opposite end of the stadium threw chairs and other objects and attempted to get onto the field of play.

They were eventually contained by a large barrier of police and stewards, and their anger turned to delight and disbelief when the penalty was saved.

The Senegal team had initially been riled by the referee’s decision to disallow for a foul a goal they scored in the second added minute when Abdoulaye Seck headed off the post at a corner, and Ismaila Sarr nodded in the rebound.

After Diaz’s penalty miss, however, it felt almost inevitable that a galvanised Senegal would go on to score, and they did so in the fourth minute of extra time to stun the home fans in the crowd of 66,526 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

Sadio Mane won possession in midfield and found Idrissa Gana Gueye, who released his namesake Pape Gueye.

The Villarreal midfielder held off the backtracking Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi as he advanced towards the box before beating goalkeeper Yassine Bounou with a superb strike into the top corner.

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Morocco were distraught, in particular Diaz, who was promptly substituted.

They could still have forced a penalty shoot-out, with Nayef Aguerd heading against the crossbar in the second half of extra time.

But it was not to be for the hosts, who had been dreaming of winning the title in front of their own fans to end a 50-year wait to become African champions for just the second time.

Senegal could have been more comfortable had Cherif Ndiaye not squandered a glorious chance to make it 2-0 late in the extra period, but they held on.

It is their second Cup of Nations title in the last three editions, following their victory over Egypt on penalties in Yaounde in 2022, which secured the trophy for the first time in their history.

They can now look forward to heading to the United States for the World Cup in June, and will hope to persuade star man Mane to play at another AFCON after he declared that the final would be his last ever game at the tournament.

Any investigation into the disgraceful scenes during the game will focus on the conduct of the Senegal team and their fans, as well as any shortcomings by Moroccan organisers.

The incidents came at the end of a tense final, which had been low on goalmouth action — not exactly surprising given the defensive strength of Africa’s best teams according to the FIFA rankings.

Senegal’s Iliman Ndiaye was denied by Bounou when clean through with the best chance in the first half, while Morocco should have scored just before the hour mark, but Ayoub El Kaabi prodded wide from a Bilal El Khannouss cross.

Then came the late drama, with Senegal surviving the penalty award before Gueye became their hero, that was the first goal scored by the Lions of Teranga in an AFCON final after they had failed to find the net in any of their three previous appearances in the tournament’s deciding game.

It was an agonising way for Morocco’s campaign to end, and many of their fans had left the stadium before the final whistle on a cold and wet night in Rabat.

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Sadio Mane will cement his status as one of the all-time great African players if he can lead Senegal to victory against hosts Morocco in Sunday’s Cup of Nations final, a game he has said will be his farewell to the AFCON.

Former Liverpool star Mane turns 34 in April and has played over 120 times for his country, going back to a debut against Morocco shortly after his 20th birthday in 2012.

The high point of his international career came in February 2022, when he starred as the Lions of Teranga beat Egypt on penalties in the Cup of Nations final in Yaounde.

Having missed a penalty during normal time that night, he stepped up to score the decisive kick in the shoot-out and Senegal, World Cup quarter-finalists in 2002, were African champions for the first time.

A huge weight was lifted off the shoulders of the boy from a small town on the banks of the Casamance River in southern Senegal.

“Before I won the Africa Cup, sometimes I played badly because of the pressure,” Mane admitted in a recent interview for the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast as he opened up on the significance of that victory.

“People in Europe love their national team, but some people love their club more — Senegal is the opposite.

“That is why there is this big pressure, so I just had to win this. It was really important.”

There have also been plenty of lows for the two-time African footballer of the year, including the defeat in the final against Algeria in Cairo in 2019 and missing the 2022 World Cup with injury.

But he is hoping to make 2026 a memorable year by claiming a second AFCON winner’s medal before turning his attentions to the World Cup in the United States, where Senegal will be in the same group as France and Norway.

After scoring the winning goal in Wednesday’s semi-final win over Mohamed Salah’s Egypt, Mane announced that the final against Morocco in Rabat would be his last game at the Cup of Nations.

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“I hope to win and bring the trophy back to Dakar,” said the forward who has spent the last two and a half years in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, where he counts Cristiano Ronaldo among his teammates.

There is a feeling that the approaching World Cup might be the swansong for a generation of Senegal players, which also includes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, skipper Kalidou Koulibaly and midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye.

Sadio Mane spent a large chunk of his international career playing under Aliou Cisse before Pape Thiaw took over as coach in late 2024.

“Let’s hope we have many more years with him, because you don’t find a player like him every day, and we need to make the most of him,” Thiaw said of Mane after the Egypt win.

“I hope this won’t be his last final; there are other competitions coming up, so we’ll see.”

Mane has scored just twice in Morocco over the last month, his other goal coming in a group-stage draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He now has 11 Cup of Nations goals in total, placing him among an elite band of players to have reached double figures.

With Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye growing in importance and Paris Saint-Germain teenager Ibrahim Mbaye emerging at this tournament, Mane must feel Senegal’s attack is in good hands going forward.

His announcement suggests that he is ready to turn his back on the next AFCON, which is set to take place in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda next year.

If he can help deliver a second title in three editions for Senegal, confirming their status as a modern African footballing superpower, he will surely feel as though his work is done.

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Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was the hero with two saves in the shoot-out as hosts Morocco beat Nigeria 4-2 on penalties to set up an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final showdown this weekend with Senegal after a tense last-four clash on Wednesday finished 0-0 at the end of extra time.

Bounou saved from Samuel Chukwueze and brilliantly from Bruno Onyemaechi, allowing Youssef En-Nesyri to convert the winning kick and spark wild celebrations among the 65,458 crowd inside the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

There was joy but also relief for Hamza Igamane, who had appeared distraught after his kick, Morocco’s second in the shoot-out, was saved by Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.

He was the only Moroccan player to fail to score in the shoot-out; however, with captain and talisman Achraf Hakimi among those who converted their penalties.

Morocco will now play Senegal on Sunday for the title after the Lions of Teranga defeated Mohamed Salah’s Egypt 1-0 in the other semi-final earlier in Tangiers, thanks to a Sadio Mane goal, which will be a clash between the top two African sides in the FIFA world rankings.

“It was one of the hardest matches we have had against a very solid and talented team,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui, who played in the last Atlas Lions side to reach the final when they lost to Tunisia in 2004.

“I am very happy for the players and for the Moroccan people who really deserve this.

“It is a great gift for them to be in the final, but we will need to recover quickly because we put a lot of energy into this game.”

Morocco have been under enormous pressure to deliver a first AFCON title for their country in half a century, but will be confident of coming out on top against Senegal with their support behind them.

However, as their dream remains alive, it is an agonising way for Nigeria’s hopes to end, two years after they lost the final to the hosts inthe  Ivory Coast, they had been hoping to win a fourth Cup of Nations crown to match the tally of rivals Ghana.

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Led by two recent winners of the African player of the year prize, Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, Nigeria had been arguably the best team at the tournament up to the semi-finals and the top scorers with 14 goals.

But they created next to nothing during the 120 minutes here and must settle for Saturday’s third-place play-off against Egypt in Casablanca before watching the World Cup from afar following their failure to qualify.

“The players fought for every ball, and it is difficult to lose on penalties, but this is football, and we have to accept it,” said Nigeria coach Eric Chelle.

“It is difficult to play here in Morocco because you have to play against the team and against the crowd.”

Doubts about the Moroccan team’s ability to handle the enormous pressure of playing at home had dissipated following their win over Cameroon in the quarter-finals.

The 2022 World Cup semi-finalists had been whistled by their own fans at times during the group phase here, but this time those supporters did their bit by responding to any Nigerian spell of possession with deafening jeers.

A frenetic opening spell to the contest saw the Moroccan winger Brahim Diaz, probably the tournament’s outstanding player, curl a shot wide before Alex Iwobi teed up Lookman at the other end for a shot that was well saved.

Morocco had chances, including a free-kick from Hakimi and a shot from Ismael Saibari that was well saved by Nwabali.

However, the second half was more cagey, and the clock ran down on normal time, while the spectre of penalties grew larger as the extra half-hour progressed.

It seemed Nigeria were settling for the shoot-out, even taking off Osimhen as they hoped to repeat their win on penalties in the 2024 semi-final against South Africa.

However, Morocco had also famously won on penalties against Spain at the last World Cup, and they repeated the trick to reach the final of their Cup of Nations.

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Hosts Morocco beat Cameroon 2-0 in their Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final on Friday to stay on course to win the continental title for the second time in their history.

Brahim Diaz and Ismael Saibari scored the goals either side of half-time as Morocco set up a semi-final against the winners of Saturday’s last-eight clash between Algeria and Nigeria.

Real Madrid winger Diaz got the decisive touch to Ayoub El Kaabi’s 26th-minute header in front of more than 64,000 fans at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in the capital Rabat.

Diaz’s fifth goal in five matches at the tournament was followed by Saibari’s strike in the second half, with Morocco well worth their victory as they progress to a semi-final against the winner of Saturday’s clash between Algeria and Nigeria.

“It is historic. Moroccans have not seen their team in the semi-finals of an AFCON for 22 years,” said coach Walid Regragui.

“They deserve it, but we need to keep our feet on the ground and make this even more historic.”

Regragui was also full of praise for Diaz, adding, “Today he was the X-factor of my team. He has been amazing during the competition. Tonight, the way he ran and fought send out a message to the rest of the team.”

The semi-final promises to be a stiffer test for Morocco than that posed by Cameroon, who were hoping to spring an upset, having already exceeded expectations in coming this far after a troubled build-up to the tournament.

The Indomitable Lions, five-time African champions, created little with Manchester United forward Bryan Mbeumo struggling to make an impact.

Recently-appointed Cameroon coach David Pagou was nevertheless proud of his side in defeat.

“We are satisfied with how the boys played. We only started working with the team on December 16, not even a month ago, but they gave joy to the people of Cameroon,” Pagou said.

Morocco, Africa’s top-ranked team and World Cup semi-finalists in 2022, are under enormous pressure to win the Cup of Nations in front of their own fans, half a century after their last continental title.

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There have been doubts as to whether they can handle the weight of expectation, but they remain on course to achieve their objective.

It is the first time Morocco have reached the AFCON semi-finals since they lost the 2004 final to Tunisia.

The hosts were unchanged from their 1-0 last-16 win over Tanzania as they looked to continue an unbeaten record going back to their defeat by South Africa at the 2024 AFCON.

Fresh from knocking out South Africa in the last round here, Cameroon were clearly banking on frustrating Morocco as much as possible in an attempt to turn the crowd against the home side.

Morocco were beaten by the Cameroonians in the semi-finals the last time they hosted AFCON in 1988, but a repeat outcome never really looked likely.

Cameroon were not helped by the early loss of right wing-back Jackson Tchamadeu, who tried to carry on after Noussair Mazraoui landed heavily on his knee before eventually being stretchered off.

Moments after that, Morocco scored. Achraf Hakimi sent in a corner from the right, which was headed towards goal by El Kaabi at the near post, and the ball struck Diaz in the groin before going in.

That calmed a frenetic home support, who cheered their team off at the break after seeing Abde Ezzalzouli and El Kaabi come close to adding further goals.

Morocco were on top, and Cameroon’s response was to change formation after the break, from a back three to a 4-2-3-1, in an attempt to create more danger.

Ezzalzouli headed just over from a Hakimi corner, and then a cross by the Paris Saint-Germain star caused havoc in the Cameroon box as Samuel Kotto hooked the ball away from the line.

Mbeumo had appeals for a penalty dismissed by the Mauritanian referee before PSV Eindhoven’s Saibari fired in the killer second goal on 74 minutes after controlling Ezzalzouli’s dead-ball delivery, as Morocco march on to Wednesday’s semis.

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Recalled striker Iliman Ndiaye scored in the first half to give Senegal a 1-0 victory over 10-man Mali in Tangiers on Friday in the first Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-final.

Mali’s hopes were dealt a severe blow in first-half added time when Yves Bissouma was sent off after being shown a second yellow card.

The only goal followed a blunder by Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra, who then made a string of superb saves to prevent Senegal from increasing their lead.

Senegal now faces defending champions Ivory Coast or record seven-time winners Egypt, who meet on Saturday, in the semi-finals.

Malian Lassine Sinayoko appealed for a penalty just three minutes into the first half, alleging he was fouled by Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly, who was back after a one-match suspension.

However, the South African referee waved play on, and VAR confirmed his decision was correct. Big-screen replays showed Sinayoko was guilty of simulation.

Mali captain Bissouma was yellow-carded midway through the half for fouling veteran Senegal striker and twice African player of the year Sadio Mane.

Sinayoko then broke clear only to be foiled by a superb sliding tackle from fellow French Ligue 1 player Krepin Diatta.

The deadlock was broken after 27 minutes on a cold, cloudy evening in the Mediterranean city thanks to Ndiaye.

He was involved three times in a move which ended with goalkeeper Djigui Diarra allowing a Krepin Diarra cross to slip under his body, and Ndiaye struck the loose ball into the net.

While the goal was a gift, it gave Senegal a deserved lead as they had dominated possession in only the second AFCON clash between the countries. The first was drawn at the group stage in 2004.

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Pape Gueye, who scored twice for Senegal in the last-16 victory over Sudan, was just off target with a shot from outside the box.

Then, for the second successive knockout match, Mali were reduced to 10 men before half-time with Bissouma shown a second yellow card, followed by a red.

The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder fouled Idrissa Gueye in midfield and Malian pleas for the incident to be reviewed by VAR were rejected.

Mali displayed tremendous spirit when reduced to 10 men against Tunisia in the round of 16, and it was evident again against the Senegalese as the second half progressed.

They came close to levelling on 55 minutes when defender Abdoulaye Diaby advanced for a free-kick. His close-range shot brought a reflex save from former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

Diarra atoned for his first-half blunder by making several superb saves to keep alive Malian dreams of winning a maiden AFCON title.

With 15 minutes of regular time remaining, scorer Ndiaye was substituted. In his place came 17-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward Ibrahim Mbaye, whose goal sealed victory over Sudan.

Diarra rescued Mali again as time ticked away, blocking a shot from substitute Pathe Ciss, who had broken clear.

The Malian goalkeeper made another outstanding save during seven minutes of added time by pushing away a Lamine Camara volley.

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Captain Mohamed Salah scored after 124 minutes to clinch a 3-1 extra-time victory for Egypt over plucky minnows Benin in an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) last-16 thriller in Agadir on Monday.

Marwan Attia put the Pharaohs ahead in the second half, and Jodel Dossou equalised for the Cheetahs, who are 58 places below the record seven-time AFCON champions in the world rankings.

Yasser Ibrahim headed Egypt back in front in the first half of extra time, then Salah broke clear and beat goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou with a shot from outside the area for his 10th AFCON goal.

Salah, whose goals have helped Liverpool win many trophies, is seeking a first AFCON winners’ medal, having twice been a runner-up.

Record seven-time champions Egypt stay in Agadir to face title-holders Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso on Saturday in the quarter-finals.

Egypt changed 10 of the team that drew with Angola in their final group match seven days ago, with only midfielder Ibrahim Adel retained.

Benin lacked captain and former Premier League striker Mounie, who had not recovered from an undisclosed illness.

Egypt had a great chance to go in front after only eight minutes through Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush.

He darted forward from the Egyptian half, gained possession and stayed ahead of two pursuing defenders only to be foiled by Dandjinou, who blocked the ball with his legs, then grasped it.

A collision between Hamdy and Rodolfo Aloko led to a long delay, which ended with the Egyptian being carried off the field. Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh took his place in midfield.

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An incident deep in added time illustrated how wary Benin were of Salah. When the captain gained possession just outside the box, he was immediately surrounded by three opponents.

Dandjinou rescued Benin 10 minutes into the second half when he bravely parried a close-range shot from Ramy Rabia after the ball ran loose to the defender following a corner.

As the match passed the hour mark, it began to open up. A Salah attempt to chip the ball into the net was foiled by leaping Dandjinou.

Then, a parry from 37-year-old Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy prevented substitute Dossou from giving Benin a shock lead.

Attia ended the goalless stalemate when Marmoush pushed the ball back to the midfielder and, from just outside the box, he side-footed it into the roof of the net.

Benin refused to accept defeat, though, and continued to attack, levelling on 83 minutes through 33-year-old Dossou.

El Shenawy did superbly to palm a Mohamed Tijani cross away from his goal, but the ball fell invitingly for Dossou, and he pushed it into the net.

Egypt regained the lead seven minutes into extra time, and this time Attia was the creator. He crossed after a short corner, and a looping Ibrahim header evaded Dandjinou and landed in the net.

Salah then put the outcome beyond doubt with his third goal of the tournament.

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Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz maintained his goal-a-game record at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) by scoring to take Morocco into the quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Tanzania in Rabat on Sunday.

Diaz scored once in each of three group matches, and his 64th-minute strike against the Tanzanians created history as he became the first Moroccan to find the net in four consecutive AFCON matches.

His celebrations included holding up a shirt belonging to midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, and he later dedicated the last-16 victory to his injured teammate.

Ounahi arrived at the stadium using crutches and wearing a medical boot on his left foot as Bilal El Khannouss took his place in midfield.

The goal came after Morocco squandered numerous scoring chances while stretching an unbeaten run in competitive and friendly matches to 23. Their last loss was to South Africa at the 2024 AFCON.

Morocco will face South Africa or Cameroon, who meet later on Sunday at a different Rabat venue, in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defender Achraf Hakimi set up the last-16 winner for Diaz, while making his first start in the tournament after coming off the bench in a victory over Zambia last Monday.

The 2025 African player of the year suffered a serious ankle injury playing for PSG against Bayern Munich in the Champions League two months ago.

“The competition is growing in intensity, and we have just faced our toughest opposition so far in Tanzania,” said Diaz.

“Not everything worked, we know that, but fortunately, we managed to secure our qualification. Now we will go back to work to be fully ready for the quarter-finals.”

Argentina-born Tanzania coach Miguel Gamondi said, “I am so proud of what my team produced. So proud of my players, both in their attitude and tactically.

“They showed that the gap between Morocco and us is not as big as people think. We will come back stronger, I am convinced of that.”

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Morocco were favourites for several reasons, including home advantage, the backing of close to 70,000 supporters, and lying 101 places above Tanzania in the world rankings.

However, it was Tanzania who had the first chance in the third minute, but Saimon Msuva misconnected with a Selemani Mwalimu cross.

Morocco had the ball in the net after 15 minutes as Ismael Saibari nodded a Abdessamad Ezzalzouli free-kick past goalkeeper Hussein Masaranga.

The assistant referee immediately raised his flag for offside, and a VAR review confirmed that the PSV striker had strayed too far forward.

Ayoub El Kaabi was the next Moroccan to come close, heading over before being injured in a collision with Masaranga. Both players resumed after treatment.

A Diaz shot was too high from the edge of the box, and El Kaabi headed wide as the host nation continued their pursuit of the opening goal, but the first half ended goalless.

In a lively start to the second period, Ezzalzouli and El Kaabi headed wide, then, in a rare Tanzanian raid, Feisal ‘Fei Toto’ Salum fired over with only goalkeeper Yassine ‘Bono’ Bounou to beat.

As Moroccan pressure mounted, Hakimi rifled a free-kick against the crossbar from just outside the box on the hour mark.

A goal seemed inevitable given the relentless pressure from the host nation, and it came thanks to Hakimi and Diaz.

The full-back passed to the forward, who beat Masaranga at his near post with an angled shot from close range.

Tanzania protested furiously in added time after El Khannouss appeared to push Tanzania substitute Iddy Nado in the area, but the referee waved play on.

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