AFCON 2025: Brahim Diaz scores again as Morocco send Tanzania packing [VIDEO]

Hosts Morocco fought hard to secure a 1-0 victory over a stubborn Tanzania to book a place in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter final

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The two sides met in a round of 16 match played today, Sunday 4 January at the Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium in Rabat.

Morocco qualified to the knockout phase as Group A winners having secured a 2-0 win over Comoros in their opener, before they were held to a 1-1 draw with Mali, and completed the group with a 3-0 victory over Zambia.

Tanzania, on the other hand, made it to the last 16 as one of the best ranked third placed teams.

Taifa Stars began the tournament with a 2-1 loss to Nigeria, followed by 1-1 draws against Uganda and Tunisia respectively.

On paper, the match was a classical case of Goliath versus David.

The Atlas Lions were not only enjoying home support, but were also one of the tournament’s favorites for the title, while the East African side were clear underdogs and qualified by chance.

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Backed by the home support, Morocco began the match on the front foot, dominating the first three minutes but with nothing to threaten the Tanzanian defense.

Taifa Stars earned the first chance of the match in the fourth minute, when Haji Mnoga latched on to a cross from the wing, but his header went way over the bar.

By the 10th minute, Morocco had already inserted their superiority in the match, and were dominating the play with short passes while seeking to find a gap in the Tanzanian defense.

Morocco's first chance came in the 11th minute where Neil El Aynaoui collected a ball on the edge of the box and smashed the ball goalwards, but his effort lacked precision and went over the bar.

Morocco thought they had taken the lead in the 15th minute when Ismael Saibari rose high to score from a free kick, but a VAR review saw the goal scrapped off for offside.

Tanzania appealed for a handball in the 24th minute when Novatus Miroshi went down after a challenge from the Tunisian defense, but the referee waved play on.

The rest of the half saw Morocco dominate play, but they could not find a way past the low block Tanzanian defense before half time.

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In the second half, Morocco intensified their search for goal with Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz in particular causing problems to the Tanzania backline.

However, the first big chance of the half came at the hour mark when reigning African Footballer of the Year, Achraf Hakimi took a mid-range free kick that struck the crossbar.

The PSG star would then provide Diaz with a neat pass inside the box that allowed the latter to finish with a precise effort into the bottom right corner to send the stadium into a frenzy in the 64th minute.

With the goal, Morocco played with much confidence and with caution to protect their lead, while Tanzania pushed for an equalizer, but Morocco's quality and experience was in hand to neutralize their threat.

Morocco will face the winner of the clash between Cameroon and South Africa in a quarter final set for Friday, 9 January.

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