The Atlas Lions of Morocco have secured a place in the quarter final stage at the on-going TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2021 in Cameroon.
Morocco came from a goal down to defeat Malawi 2-1 in a match played at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.
Coach Vahid Halilhodzic’s Atlas Lions started on a high, but it was Gabadinho Mhango who struck early for the Malawi Flames after only seven minutes.
Mhango made no mistake from outside the box when he curled in a shot that beat Morocco’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to the top corner.
But the early goal was a wake-up call for the Moroccon team as they responded and attacked in numbers to try and level matters. Imran Louza and Yousesef En-Nesyri all had their shots blocked by the Malawian goalkeeper Charles Thom who kept ghis team in the game.
But with two minutes of added time to the break En-Nesyri made it 1-1 when he nodded in a well taken Sofiane Boufal corner kick.
The Malawi Flames cushioned a lot of pressure as the Atlas Lions dominated most of the play in the first half with seven shots on target against Malawi’s one.
In the second half the Malawi team tried to regroup and made early attempts through Gerald and Phiri Gomezgani Chirwa, but their attempts missed the target.
After a lot of pressure on the Malawian defending line, Morocco scored to make it 2-1 after 70 minutes. Defender Achraf Hakimi beautifully curled in a free kick that beat the Flames’ goalkeeper Charles Thom. The Atlas Lions did not stop pushing forward as they continued creating more scoring opportunities.
It was all celebrations by the Moroccan team after the final whistle as they booked a place in the quarter final. Morocco will wait to face the winner between Cote d’Ivoire and Egypt in the quarter final.
At the 2019 AFCON held in Egypt, the Atlas Lions were ejected in the round of 16 by Benin in penalty shoot-outs after a 1-1 draw. Morocco have also lifted the AFCON trophy once in 1976. [CAF]
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