Morocco tops group D with win

October 11th, 2010 | by: Xavier | Comments Off

A satisfying victory on Saturday in Dar es Salaam has put the Atlas Lions atop Group D in the African Cup of Nations Qualifiers.  One day later saw the Central African Republic surprisingly defeat Algeria in Bangui to join the Moroccans in pole position in the group.

It was Morocco’s first victory in a competitive match since October of 2008. The victory confirms the good form the national side has been enjoying since being taken over by the Eric Gerets/Dominic Cuperly regime.  Cuperly is currently coaching the team from the sidelines before Gerets assumes the role after his contract expires at Saudi side Al-Hilal FC.

In many ways this was a must win for Cuperly’s men before their next encounter against rivals Algeria which always present a difficult challenge. The victory was also needed to boost the confidence of players and staff that the Moroccan National team is once again on solid footing as they ambitiously push to get back to the African Cup of Nations and subsequently the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil.

From the outset of the contest the Atlas Lions looked aggressive and solid in defense. but after several attempts with no return they were able to breakthrough with Mounir El Hamdoui’s 42 minute strike before the break. The goal came as Marouane Chamakh played a one two with a head volley that fell perfectly for Ajax’s star striker who neatly slotted home past goalkeeper Juma Kaseja who had no chance on the ball.

The second half  saw an aggressive defense helped by more robust attacking from Cuperly’s men. Mohammed Berrabeh did a fine job closing ranks in the midfield and the Tanzanians were unable to string enough passes together to really threaten on a consistent basis.

Youssef Hadji replaced El Hamdaoui late in the match but did not really have enough pitch time to spice things up with his usual mercurial play. Hadji was coming off an impressive performance against the Central African republic in which he scored two goals after coming on as a substitute.

So after weeks of anticipation the Atlas Lions claimed an important victory as the sun set over the Indian Ocean. Hopefully it is a portent of things to come.