đź”— Share this article Ayoub El Kaabi's Breathtaking Goal Secures Morocco's Win Over the Coelacanths in Africa Cup of Nations Opening Match. Host nation the Moroccan side shook off a jittery beginning to beat their island opponents in the tournament's inaugural fixture on the weekend, with goals from the Real Madrid attacker and super-sub El Kaabi in the second half. It was a less than dominant display, however, from the strongly favored hosts, who are ranked 97 places higher than the small Indian Ocean nation in the FIFA rankings and had to work tirelessly for the three points in wet conditions at Rabat's national stadium. Tense Start and Spurned Chances The hosts missed an first-half penalty and were locked at 0-0 at half-time despite controlling the ball, finally opening the scoring in the 55th minute. It came when Noussair Mazraoui showed great skill to prevent the ball from going out before laying it across for Brahim DĂaz to sidefoot home. “The first match is always difficult but we came good in the second half,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui. The Substitute's Moment of Brilliance The tension was then eased by a piece of pure genius from substitute El Kaabi. Only 10 minutes following his introduction, the forward met a ball into the box with a stunning bicycle kick in the 74th minute, doubling and sealing the win. Before that, the hosts could have been ahead in the 11th minute after a penalty was given for a foul on DĂaz. However, Soufiane Rahimi effort was saved by Comoros goalkeeper Yannick Pandor. The Visitors' Resistance and Second-Half Opportunity Comoros stoutly defended against their more illustrious opponents for long periods before the hosts' individual talent in the end told. Goalkeeper Yannick Pandor pulled off several further fine saves to limit the scoreline as the match progressed, even though Comoros created a chance for an equalizer shortly following DĂaz's goal, with Rafiki SaĂŻd firing directly into keeper Bounou. Fitness Worry for Morocco The three points was partially overshadowed by an apparent injury to the captain, Romain SaĂŻss, who limped off after the 18th minute in tears. The centre-back had only made his comeback to the international setup recently following a year’s layoff due to ankle surgery. This result continues the team's historic run of consecutive wins to nineteen, beating the previous record of 15 set by the Spanish national team between 2008 and 2009.