By Olukayode Olumuyiwa.
Tournament hosts Morocco have kept their dreams of a first Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in 50 years alive, securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over a determined Tanzania side to advance to the quarter-finals.
Despite dominating possession from the opening whistle, the Atlas Lions found it difficult to break down a well-organized Taifa Stars defense. The frustration for the home supporters began early when Ismael Saibari headed home a left-wing cross 15 minutes in, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
A Frustrating Opening Half
Under the tactical guidance of head coach Miguel Ángel Gamondi, Tanzania’s defense remained resolute throughout the first half. Morocco’s star attackers,
Brahim Díaz and Ayoub El Kaabi, both saw efforts fly over the bar from the edge of the box, while a diving header also narrowly missed the target.
By the time the halftime whistle blew, the home crowd was left in a state of surprise: Morocco had failed to record a single shot on target during the first 45 minutes.
The Breakthrough
Morocco returned for the second half with renewed intensity. Five minutes after the restart, they nearly took the lead through Abde Ezzalzouli, whose close-range header was brilliantly clawed away by Tanzanian goalkeeper Hussein Masalanga.
Tanzania, however, refused to simply sit back. Feisal Salum was presented with a “golden opportunity” to hand the underdogs a shock lead, but he lacked the necessary composure and blazed his shot over the crossbar.
The pressure finally told in the 64th minute. After Achraf Hakimi rattled the woodwork with a powerful free-kick just minutes earlier, Brahim Díaz found the breakthrough. Díaz beat Masalanga at his near post to send the home crowd into a frenzy, maintaining his impressive record of scoring in every game of the tournament so far.
Looking Ahead
The opening goal settled the nerves of the Atlas Lions, allowing them to manage the final stages of the match with expert precision. While the tempo dropped following the goal, Morocco did enough to book their place in the last eight.
For Tanzania, the defeat marks the end of an admirable run. Having navigated their way through the group stages, the Taifa Stars exit the tournament with their heads held high after push the tournament favorites to the limit.
What’s Next?
Morocco will return to action this Friday in the quarter-finals, where they are set to face either Cameroon or South Africa.
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