African Cup of Nations: The Second Game for Morocco

(AFP) Morocco face Guinea in today’s second Group A game in a rematch of the 1976 African Nations Cup final.

Guinea won’t need reminding that in Addis Ababa they came to within four minutes of lifting the title, only for Morocco to strike late and claim the continent’s top honour.

The Moroccans’ preparations for this renewal has been hit by the loss of red hot striker Soufiane Alloudi.

The injured Al Ain attacker lifted the Atlas Lions to a 5-1 rout of the outclassed Namibians in their African Nations Cup opener on Monday, but coach Henri Michel will now have to find a new attacking formula to unlock the Guinean defence.

Alloudi was ruled out for this game and Monday’s final first round tie with hosts Ghana after suffering tendonitis in his right knee.

Morocco have already put the painful lessons of the 2006 African Nations Cup when they were knocked out after the first round without scoring a single goal, behind them.

And they are now talking about emulating their powerful 2004 showing when they made it all the way to the final in Tunisia.

Captain Youssef Safri reflected: “I was disappointed as a player about what happened in Egypt. I’ve learned from our mistakes. This time we want to go as far as possible.”

The 1976 champions looked slick and polished against Namibia but in Guinea, who caused Ghana a myriad of problems in Sunday’s curtain-raiser, they face an alltogether tougher proposition.

And Guinea star Pascale Feindoundo and his teammates have been offered an added incentive to make it to through their tricky group in the form of a $30,000 bonus per man.
Should they make it to the last four their reward rises to 50,000, 70,000 for the final and 150,000 if they bring the title itself back to Conakry. Yet the Syli Elephant’s coach Robert Nouzaret took his players to task for failing to live up to expectations in their opener and he predicted improvement for the Morocco game. “I’m disappointed because we didn’t show our true character against Ghana,” the Frenchman said.