ABIDJAN, Jan 18: Youssef En-Nesyri had to wait until he was on the substitutes’ bench before celebrating a goal that helped Morocco seal a 3-0 win over Tanzania in their opening Africa Cup of Nations game.
En-Nesyri’s celebrations were initially cut short by the offside flag after he scored his team’s third goal in the 80th minute. He had already made way for substitute Amine Harit to go on in his place before a VAR check confirmed he had been onside for Achraf Hakimi’s cross.
It prompted En-Nesyri’s teammates to rush to the Moroccan bench to congratulate the Sevilla forward.
In the end, it was a comfortable win for the “Atlas Lions,” one of the pre-tournament favorites after reaching the World Cup semifinals in Qatar.
Romain Saïss opened the scoring in the 30th when he was quickest to the rebound after Aishi Manula saved Hakim Ziyech’s free kick from just outside the penalty area.
Azzedine Ounahi sealed the win seven minutes later after playing a one-two with Amine Adli and striking a low shot inside the left post, three minutes before En-Nesyri had the final say.
An opening win will settle any nerves among Regragui’s players, with the pressure now on other big teams after failing to win their first games. Only the first two teams in each group are assured of reaching the knockout stage. (PTI)
