🔗 Share this article El Kaabi's Stunning Finish Caps Morocco's Victory Over Comoros in Africa Cup of Nations Opener. The Morocco overcame a anxious beginning to defeat their island opponents in the competition's inaugural fixture on the weekend, with goals from the Real Madrid attacker and substitute El Kaabi in the second half. This constituted a hardly emphatic display, however, from the heavily tipped hosts, who sit 97 places higher than the tiny island nation in the FIFA rankings and were forced to work tirelessly for the three points in wet conditions at Rabat's Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium. Tense Beginning and Spurned Chances Morocco failed to convert an early penalty and were goalless at the interval even with dominating the ball, eventually opening the scoring in the 55th minute. The goal arrived after full-back Mazraoui did well to prevent the ball from going out before laying it across for Díaz to sidefoot home. “The first match is invariably tough but we came good in the second period,” commented Morocco coach Walid Regragui. El Kaabi's Piece of Brilliance Any lingering nerves was subsequently eased by a piece of sheer genius from Ayoub El Kaabi. Only ten minutes following his introduction, the striker met a ball into the box with a acrobatic bicycle kick in the 74th minute, doubling and ensuring the result. Earlier in the match, the hosts could have been ahead in the 11th minute after a spot-kick was awarded for a foul on Díaz. However, Soufiane Rahimi effort was kept out by keeper Yannick Pandor. Comoros Resistance and Late Opportunity The underdogs stoutly defended against Morocco at bay before the hosts' greater quality in the end told. Shot-stopper Yannick Pandor made several further good stops to keep down the score as the game wore on, even though Comoros created a chance for an equalizer shortly after Díaz's goal, with Saïd shooting directly into Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. Fitness Worry for Morocco The victory was somewhat overshadowed by an apparent injury to Morocco's captain, Saïss, who was forced off in the 18th minute apparently in some distress. The centre-back had only made his comeback to the international setup recently following a year’s absence due to a serious ankle operation. This result extends the team's historic run of consecutive victories to 19, surpassing the old best of 15 set by Spain between 2008 and 2009.