2025 AFCON: Real's midfielder scores a winner in injury time

The good thing about being the fourth team in the world after the latest World Cup is that you have a good and strong squad with plenty of players who can be promoted to the starting 11. But when you get a weak group in the 2025 AFCON qualifying games, that‘s even better, and Morocco coach Walid Regragui also though so. In Group B, The Atlas Lions are faced with Lesotho, Gabon and Central African Republic and all three teams have as much wins combined as Morocco themselves. So, Regragui decided to bring in fresh young players into the starting 11 and try to see what will they do against weak Lesotho. So, players like Ezzalzouli, Ziyech, Brahim Díaz, Youssef En-Nesyri, Bono, Mazraoui and Sofyan Amrabat stayed on the bench. The result? 0-0. Morocco were clearly better even with the youngsters in the team, but couldn‘t break the deadlock for 90 minutes. And only in the fourth minute of injury time did Real‘s midfielder came in to the penalty area, made a couple of dribblings and put the ball in the bottom right corner for the final 1-0.

The match was a battle between the cat and the mouse from the begining until the end. Morocco started quick and wanted to score fast. Adam Aznou bursted into the Lesotho penalty area and caused a mayhem but the home team blocked his shot for the lead. Morocco had two more close chances in the next 15 minutes, but Lesotho defenders managed to block the shots or turn them into corners every time. The last chance in the first half came in the 37th minute, when El Kaabi used Hakimi’s cross to put the ball into the net, but it went over the bar instead.

2025 AFCON: Black Stars stunned again, this time by Niger

The guests continued their dominance in the second half, partly because there was no will from the home team to attack at all, but rather to keep their net intact. Hakim Ziyech and Abdessamad Ezzalzouli came from the bench to create a good chance in the 60th minute, but Ezzalzouli’s header went near the post. And then came the biggest opportunity three minutes from time when another pair of reserve players Diaz and El-Nesyri comined but the Fenerbache striker’s shot passed just centimeters near the post. And just when everybody thought that a surprise result was on the horizon, Diaz brought his team three points.

AFCON QUALIFICATIONS:

Group B:

Monday:

Leshoto - Morocco 0-1 (0-0)

/Diaz 94/

Tuesday:

19:00 (1.70) Gabon (3.50) Central African Republic (5.50)

Group F:

Monday:

Niger - Ghana 1-1 (0-1)

/Seidu 44 - Sako 81/

Tuesday:

22:00 (1.60) Angola (3.50) Sudan (7.00)

Group L:

Monday:

Burundi - Senegal 0-1 (0-0)

/Sarr (p) 71/

Tuesday:

22:00 (1.50) Burkina Faso (3.90) Malawi (7.75)