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MORROCO have confirmed themselves as major contenders for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as they spanked Tanzania in their opening game of the campaign.
Ahead of the game, supporters of minnows in the tournament, wanted Tanzania to beat Morocco like how Cape Verde stunned Ghana, and how Namibia stunned Tunisia.
As expected, Morocco who are currently ranked the number one national team in Africa after finishing fourth during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, proved to be too organized to be beaten by minnows.
The Atlas Lions stamped their authority in the Group F encounter in the 30th minute when Romain Saïss scored the match opener.
Interestingly, Tanzania were able to hold off threats from the best-ranked team in Africa for the remaining minutes of the first half.
In the second half, the Taifa Stars became more aggressive and their aggressiveness earned Novatus Miroshi a red card in the 70th minute.
The red card opened the game more to the Atlas Lions and they doubled their lead in the 77th minute through the boots of Azzedine Ounahi, the player of the match.
Youssef En-Nesyri of Sevilla sealed the win in the 80th minute as the game ended 3-0 in favour of the North African country.
Morocco are now topping Group F with three points pending the outcome of the game between DR Congo and Zambia later tonight.