RABAT — Morocco advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Tanzania in Rabat, with Real Madrid star Brahim Díaz scoring a wonderful strike in the second half of a bruising encounter.
The win keeps alive Morocco’s hopes of ending a 50-year wait for a continental crown on home soil.
Diaz, the outstanding contender for the Player of the Tournament so far, extended his run of scoring in every match at the competition as he opened the scoring in the 64th minute, beating Tanzania goalkeeper Hussein Masalanga at his near post.
However, the Taifa Stars, who have still never won a game in the Nations Cup, had big chances in each half, and a team starting with seven home-based players will rue not seizing the possibility of a seismic upset.
Despite being ranked 101 places below their opponents in the FIFA World Rankings, Tanzania sought to take the game to the tournament hosts from the off and carved out the best chance of the half before the match had settled.
Selemani Abdala broke down the right in the third minute, and his excellent cross evaded Yacine Bounou to find Simon Msuva, unmarked at the backpost. The forward however, perhaps not expecting the ball to reach him, could only look on in disbelief as his off-balance header flew wide of the stranded Morocco goalkeeper.
Tanzania continued to look adventurous in attack and aggressive without the ball, although steadily, Morocco began to impose themselves, with Neil El Aynaoui firing over from range on 10 minutes, before Ismael Saibari had a close-range header ruled out for offside after he’d met Abde Ezzalzouli‘s freekick soon afterwards.
Late in the half, Ayoub El Kaabi — one of the stars of the Nations Cup so far — sent a diving header wide after meeting a fine cross, with the Morocco fans at the Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium growing increasingly concerned with their team’s inability to break the deadlock.
Indeed, Morocco, despite the return of captain Achraf Hakimi to the lineup for his first competitive start in two months, lacked the zip and intensity that had characterised their earlier performances in the tournament.
Without midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, who appears to have been injured in yesterday’s training session after entering the stadium on crutches and with his right foot in a protective boot, Morocco lacked the control, invention and change of pace that the Girona man is responsible for bringing to this team.
His replacement, Bilal El Khannouss, sent a hopeful effort over from the edge of the D in the 50th minute as the Atlas Lions sought to impose themselves after the break, with Masalanga making a comfortable save to deny an Ezzalzouli header soon after the restart.
Tanzania again forged a magnificent effort to open the scoring in the 57th minute, when Bounou parried Mohamed Husseini’s speculative effort into the path of Abdala, who calmly centred the ball for Feisal Salum, only for the Azam midfielder to blaze over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
Minutes later, they were to pay for their profligacy, with Hakimi forging an opening with some fine footwork on the right flank, taking advantage of some overly-respectful Tanzania defending, before feeding Diaz.
The Real Madrid man still had much to do, evading the attentions of Ibrahim Hamad before tearing down towards Masalanga’s goal and catching the keeper unawares with an effort that squeezed in at his near post.
Diaz and his teammates celebrated the winner by raising Ounahi’s No. 8 and waving it in front of the home fans, hinting further, perhaps, at the severity of the 25-year-old’s injury.
Diaz was replaced in the 84th minute apparently in some discomfort, which will concern head coach Walid Regragui, although he will recognise that much more is expected from his Morocco side as they look to get their hands on the crown.
Tanzania, aware they should have bene in a stronger situation, turned to veteran Mbwana Samatta from the bench, although they were unable to put the Atlas Lions under significant pressure before full-time, with fierce late penalty shouts for an Adam Masina push on substitute Iddi Alli ignored by the officials.
Morocco will now advance to only their third quarterfinal since reaching the final in 2004, with the match set to take place in Rabat on Friday.
