Noussair Mazraoui and Soufiane Rahimi scored to help Morocco start their campaign on a positive note. The Atlas Lions went ahead in the 36th minute when Mazraoui broke the deadlock to give the hosts a half-time advantage.
Rahimi scored the second goal in the 84th minute as Morocco joined Niger on three points following the latter’s 2-1 victory over Lesotho in the group’s other opening fixture.
Morocco won the way ‘we wanted’
“I think the assessment is positive. We won in the way we wanted and we controlled the match,” Ouahbi told reporters after the game as quoted by Mountakhab.
Ouahbi, however, took issue with his forward line for not scoring from the many chances they created, and demanded more from the front line ahead of their matchday two.
“A player who has had two chances and missed them cannot leave the match feeling happy. He should not be satisfied with himself,” added Ouahbi.
On the performance of Abdellah Ouazane, who came on in the second half, Ouahbi said: “Ouazane came on at a time when we were not performing well, but he showed his personality.
“When he is under pressure, it does not affect him. He is an extremely talented player.”
Morocco will now face Lesotho on September 29th in Bloemfontein, South Africa. They are also scheduled to face Ghana in an international friendly on October 4th at the Grand Stade de Tanger.
Morocco has won the AFCON two times in its history, first in 1976 and later awarded the 2025 title following a CAF ruling.
‘Morocco are at very high level’
Meanwhile, Gabon coach Sebastien Migne conceded defeat while praising Morocco’s performance that he said was on a very high level.
“I was not surprised by Morocco’s level or their style of play. It was exactly what we expected from them. It is a very high level, and we are far from that,” Migne told Morocco News.
“Perhaps I was a little surprised to see so many young players in the starting lineup, but they are Under-20 world champions, and we know that there is a large pool of talent.”
Gabon will shift their focus to their matchday two against Niger on Tuesday, September 29th. Niger launched their campaign with a 2-1 victory against Lesotho.
