Softfootball understands that Morocco made absolutely sure of their place in the Africa Cup of Nations knockout rounds with a convincing 3–0 win over Zambia, played out on a lively night at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
Morocco celebrated this victory via their official X account.
They posted:
𝗧𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗖𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀—𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗰𝗼 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱
Coming into the game following their 1-0 victory against Comoros, Walid Regragui’s side still had some work left to do after that intense 1-1 draw against Mali. Qualification wasn’t 100 per cent sure, and there was a bit of pressure hanging around the hosts.
They answered it quickly; just nine minutes in, Ayoub El Kaabi opened the scoring, reacting sharply to a floated cross from Azzedine Ounahi and guiding the ball home from close range. Nothing fancy, but a big goal.
Morocco kept pushing after that, and Zambia really struggled to cope with the pace. The second goal came midway through the first half, and once again Brahim Díaz showed why he’s been such an important figure in this tournament.
Abde Ezzalzouli pulled the ball back into the box, and Díaz, arriving late with no marker near him, finished calmly. At 2–0, it already felt like the game was starting to slip away from the visitors.
The Atlas Lions didn’t wait long after the restart to put things beyond doubt. El Kaabi struck again, and this one was special. The striker pulled off an overhead kick that had the whole stadium buzzing.
At first, the goal was ruled out for offside, but VAR stepped in and showed a Zambian defender had played him on. The decision was overturned, and the goal stands.
With qualification no longer in doubt, Morocco eased off a little. Regragui rotated his squad, taking the opportunity to rest a few key players ahead of tougher tests. The tempo dropped, and the rhythm wasn’t quite the same, though Morocco still looked the more likely to score. Achraf Hakimi went close after coming on, but there was no real urgency anymore.
It ended 3–0, a solid statement from the hosts, even if the closing stages lacked intensity. Morocco now waits to find out who they’ll face in the last 16, likely one of the best third-placed teams. Elsewhere in Group A, a goalless draw between Comoros and Mali sealed Zambia’s fate, as they finished bottom with just two points.
Not their best football, perhaps, but Morocco did enough to advance.
