Morocco and Ivory Coast both came into this game with some momentum behind them, after victories in their first group stage games. It was clear to see that whoever managed to get the edge in this game would be in a great position heading into the rest of the tournament, to the point where they could already start preparing for the knockout stages. In the end, it was Morocco who were able to come away with the three points after a tense affair in Cairo.
A tug of war
It was the definition of a nervy encounter from the first minute until the very last, with Romain Saiss being forced to clear off the line after less than a minute. It really did give off the impression of a knockout game, which is almost certainly where both teams are heading.
Youssef En-Nesyri was the man who opened the scoring in the first half, finishing off a good move that was created by Nordin Amrabat. Ivory Coast had more than enough opportunities to try and draw themselves level, but in the end, they just weren’t able to get themselves over the line.
Moving on up
Morocco will be pretty happy with their performance, which should reassure them that they are legitimate contenders in this race. They’ve had their fair share of bad luck over the course of the last decade or so both on and off the pitch, and it’ll be interesting to see where they go from here.
The group leaders will finish off their group stage run against South Africa, whereas Ivory Coast will go head to head with Namibia. As long as the Ivory Coast get the job done in that game they shouldn’t have all too much to worry about, but as we all know, these international tournaments can just be so unpredictable. One thing that the majority of us do know to be a fact, though, is that the AFCON is only just getting started, and there are going to be plenty of twists and turns along the way.
For now, all that remains from tonight is for Morocco to receive the praise they so richly deserve.
Match Report
Morocco: Bounou (7), Hakimi (7), Saiss (8), Benatia (7.5), Dirar (6.5), Belhanda (7.5), Ahmadi (7), Boussoufa (7), Amrabat (7.5), En-Nesyri (8.5), Ziyech (7), Mazraoui (6), Boufal (6), Costa (6)
Ivory Coast: Gbohouo (6.5), Aurier (7), Traore (6.5), Kanon (6.5), Coulibaly (7), Die (6.5), Kessie (6.5), Pepe (6), Seri (6), Gradel (6), Kodjia (6), Cornet (6.5), Bagayoko (6.5), Bony (6.5)
Referee: Néant Alioum
Goals: En-Nesyri
Yellow Cards: El Ahmadi, Coulibaly
Red Cards: N/A
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
