The Moroccan national football team dominated its Central African counterpart by 5 goals to 0 on Saturday evening at the Stade d'Honneur in Oujda, in the African qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations (CAN 2025). Morocco, already qualified for the final phase of the next CAN as hosts, fielded a slightly reshuffled lineup, with newcomers Youssef Belammari and Jamal Harkas starting. Solid leaders of their group after two wins in as many games against Gabon (4-1) and Lesotho (1-0), the Atlas Lions had to deal with a team ranked 128th in the world, who only made the trip to Morocco with the aim of leaving with as little damage as possible. Right from the kick-off, the national team tried to stun their opponents before they could catch their breath, attempting to find gaps in the defense, notably on the flanks through Achraf Hakimi and Abdessamad Ezzalzouli. The Central Africans, who won their opening match against Lesotho (3-1) before losing to Gabon on Matchday 2 (2-0), tried to curb the Moroccan players' enthusiasm. Their only option was to hunker down at the back and let the storm of the first 15 minutes pass, in the hope of at least taking a point from Oujda. Achraf Hakimi's teammates, however, were determined to go on the offensive, pressing high up the pitch from the outset. The Moroccan forwards' efforts soon bore fruit, as Real Betis player Abdessamad Ezzalzouli opened the scoring in the 18th minute. After Sofiane Rahimi's shot, the Central African goalkeeper pushed the ball away, which found Ezzalzouli well-placed. Ezzalzouli's close-range shot turned the Central Africans' game on its head. On the half-hour mark, Yassine Bounou, who seemed to be suffering from a sore thigh, was forced to leave his teammates. Mounir El Kajoui, who had just come on as a substitute, was immediately put to the test: the Central African striker ran at the back of the Moroccan defense and found himself one-on-one with Mounir, who deflected his shot for a corner. After this Central African scare, Walid Regragui's men stepped up a gear to close the game in their favor as soon as possible. Azzeddine Ounahi doubled the lead with a curling right-foot shot into the top corner (38th). As half-time approached, the Moroccan national team scored two more goals thanks to Achraf Hakimi's left-footed shot (44th), before Ounahi rounded off Morocco's first-half goal feast (45th). The second half was a replica of the first, with one-sided attacks and a defense that didn't know which way to turn. Walid Regragui tried to breathe new life into his team with a number of changes, including the introduction of Bilal El Khannous, Youssef En-Nesyri, and Ilyas Akhomach. Although the pace slowed in the second half, the Moroccans managed to score a fifth goal from Soufiane Rahimi from the penalty spot (71st). In the group's other match, played on Friday, Gabon was held to a goalless draw at home by Lesotho (0-0). Next Tuesday, Morocco will face the same opponents at Oujda's Stade d'Honneur, on Matchday 4.
