By Ayomide Otitoju
Morocco secured a 3-0 victory over Zambia on Monday to finish atop Group A and advance to the Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16.
Olympiakos striker Ayoub El Kaabi scored twice, once in each half, while Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz netted his third consecutive goal of the tournament in front of 62,532 fans at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
With two wins and a draw, Morocco topped the group with seven points, while Mali finished second after a goalless draw with Comoros. Coach Walid Regragui’s side will now remain in Rabat for their last-16 clash against one of the best third-placed teams on Sunday, January 4.
The hosts also welcomed back captain Achraf Hakimi, African Player of the Year, as a second-half substitute following an ankle injury sustained in November.
Morocco, ranked Africa’s top team and 80 places above Zambia, quickly asserted dominance, opening the scoring in the ninth minute. A corner was played short to Azzedine Ounahi, who delivered a first-time ball to the back post for El Kaabi to head in.
The second goal came before the half-hour mark through Diaz, finishing a move set up by Ounahi and Abde Ezzalzouli, after El Kaabi’s initial attempt was missed. Six minutes after halftime, El Kaabi scored again with an overhead kick, initially ruled out for offside but later confirmed by VAR, bringing him level with Diaz and Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez atop the AFCON scoring chart.
Hakimi’s entrance in the 64th minute was warmly received, though he was denied a goal late on by Willard Mwanza, completing a comfortable evening for the Atlas Lions as they bounced back from a 1-1 draw with Mali in their previous match.
