Morocco head coach Walid Regragui admitted his side had to dig deep to secure all three points, acknowledging that the opening match of the tournament came with its own pressures.
“We have been preparing for this game for a year and a half, and naturally we put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Regragui said after the final whistle. “The missed penalty and the injury to Romain Saïss affected us early on. At half-time, I wasn’t fully satisfied with our performance, so we made some adjustments, and the players responded very quickly.”
On the opposite bench, Comoros coach Stefano Cusin struck a proud yet realistic tone despite the defeat. “We were very solid defensively and showed a good image of ourselves,” he said.
“In matches like this, you must take your chances when they come. If we had scored to make it 1–1, the game could have changed. Morocco are a great team, and sometimes you simply have to accept defeat against such quality. Comorians can be proud of this team.”
Those contrasting reflections framed a tightly contested encounter in which Morocco opened their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025 campaign with a measured 2–0 victory over Comoros on Sunday night. Playing in front of a capacity crowd at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, the Atlas Lions delivered a professional display that ultimately relied on second-half goals from Brahim Díaz and Ayoub El Kaabi.
From the opening whistle, Morocco asserted control of possession, patiently circulating the ball and pushing Comoros deep into their own half. However, despite their territorial dominance, clear-cut chances were hard to come by in the early stages as the visitors remained compact, disciplined and aggressive in their defensive duels.
Comoros even provided an early reminder of their threat inside the first five minutes when Selemani reacted quickest to a loose touch in the Moroccan penalty area, briefly silencing the home crowd and underlining the fine margins on opening night.
Morocco appeared to have found a breakthrough soon after when Brahim Díaz surged into the box and won a penalty. But the momentum stalled as Comoros goalkeeper Yannick Pandor produced a fine save, guessing correctly to deny Soufiane Rahimi from the spot.
The miss unsettled the hosts, who continued to press through crosses and set pieces, with Ismaël Saibari heading just wide and Azzedine Ounahi forcing Pandor into action from distance.
The first half grew more complicated for Morocco when captain Romain Saïss was forced off following a heavy collision, disrupting the hosts’ rhythm and leadership at the back. Despite sustained pressure and overwhelming possession, Regragui’s side went into the break level, frustrated by Comoros’ organisation and resilience.
The breakthrough finally arrived ten minutes into the second half. A slick move down the left flank ended with Noussair Mazraoui firing a low cross into the area, where Brahim Díaz timed his run perfectly to steer a calm finish past Pandor and spark celebrations inside the stadium.
With the pressure eased, Morocco began to play with greater confidence and fluidity, while Comoros continued to fight but inevitably started to leave spaces as they chased an equaliser. The decisive blow came in the 73rd minute when substitute Ayoub El Kaabi produced a moment of pure inspiration, meeting a delivery from Salah-Eddine with an acrobatic overhead kick that left the goalkeeper helpless and effectively sealed the result.
From that point on, Morocco managed the game with maturity, controlling the tempo and restricting Comoros to limited half-chances as the clock ran down. It was not a spectacular performance, but it was an efficient and controlled one — the hallmark of a side expected to challenge deep into the tournament.
The win places Morocco at the top of Group A ahead of the clash between Mali and Zambia, while Comoros depart Rabat encouraged by their structure and spirit, even as they continue their search for a defining moment on the continental stage.
Absolutely, it was a tense game! It’s great to see Morocco starting the tournament with a solid victory, a real testament to their resilience.