Morocco beat Ghana 1-0 in opening AFCON Group C match

Morocco defeated Ghana 1-0 in their opening Group C game at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Cameroon on Monday.

The match was played at the 42,000-capacity Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé, with both teams entering the game with an evenly matched record from their previous AFCON meetings.

The first half ended goalless as both sides struggled to create clear scoring opportunities. Ghana came close through Joseph Paintsil and André Ayew, while Morocco also threatened through Sofiane Boufal and Romain Saïss.

Ghana’s Alexander Djiku received the first yellow card of the match in the 17th minute, while Morocco’s Adam Masina was booked in the 22nd minute.

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After the break, both teams continued to battle for control of the game. Ghana created some promising chances, with Joseph Paintsil and André Ayew coming close to breaking the deadlock, but Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou stood firm.

Morocco finally found the breakthrough in the 83rd minute when Sofiane Boufal scored with a right-footed strike from inside the box to give the Atlas Lions a 1-0 lead.

Ghana pushed for an equaliser in the closing minutes but failed to find a way past the Moroccan defence.

The match ended Morocco 1-0 Ghana, giving Morocco three points in Group C while Ghana began their AFCON campaign with a defeat.

Morocco starting XI:
Bono, Mmaee, Masina, Aguerd, Hakimi, Saïss, Ounahi, Amallah, Aboukhlal, Boufal, Louza.

Ghana starting XI:
Wollacott, Yiadom, Djiku, Amartey, Baba Rahman, Iddrisu Baba, Thomas Partey, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Joseph Paintsil, Jordan Ayew, André Ayew.