Africa Cup of Nations

AFCON 2023 Day 5 Review: Atlas Lions launch AFCON campaign with commanding victory

January 18, 2024, 9:01 AM

2.4k

(Made In Africa Sport) – It was a gross mismatch in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 fixture between Morocco and Tanzania, as Africa’s top ranked nation clashed with the least favored team, and there was only one possible outcome. The Atlas Lions raced past their inferior opponents with a resounding 3 – 0 victory, helped by a Novatus Miroshi red card in the 70th minute.

Captain Romain Saiss got the scoring underway in the 30th minute, tapping in the rebound from Hakim Ziyech’s freekick to put the Atlas Lions in the lead. The Tanzanian defence came under heavy fire as goalkeeper Aishi Manula was forced into a diving stop to prevent Hakim Ziyech’s left-footed curler and keep a lifeline open for the Taifa Stars.

Miroshi’s red card made the job of keeping the technical Moroccoans even more difficult, and it was hardly a surprise that the Atlas Lions doubled the advantage seven minutes later. Azzedine Ounahi capped a great performance with a clever finish, exchanging passes with Amine Adli before side-footing into the bottom left corner. It was Youssef En-Nesyri’s turn to find the back of the net three minutes after, as the forward finished competently on the end of a brilliant low cross from Achraf Hakimi.

While some African giants have struggled against their underdog pairings, Morocco made mincemeat of their Tanzanian opponents starting their Africa Cup of Nations 2023 campaign on the front foot. The final matchday 1 fixture was an evenly matched encounter between DR Congo and Zambia, which ended in a 1 – 1 draw at the Stade Laurent Pokou.

Patson Daka and Kings Kangwa combined for an opener in the 23rd minute, after the Congolese goalie Lionel Mpasi found himself in foreign territory outside the 18-yard box following a clearance. The Zambian midfielder struck a throw-in from Daka first-time, finding the back of the net from over 25 yards out to put the Chipolopolo ahead.

It didn’t take too long for the Leopards of DR Congo to respond, as striker Cedric Bakambu set up Brentford’s Yoane Wissa for an equalizer in the 27th minute as the Congolese kept their charge for a winner. A VAR decision to overturn a handball from Tandi Mwape and poor decisions from Yoane Wissa kept the game quite in the balance, as the Chipolopolo were happy to see out a sixth draw in seven AFCON matches.

And just like that, the AFCON 2023 matchday 1 is over, and we have a full dose of all the entertainment and upset we could possibly want. Up next, we will see action from the Alassane Ouattara stadium, where Equatorial Guinea will look to keep their knockout hopes alive with a win over Guinea-Bissau before we have consecutive powerhouse clashes between Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria, and Egypt and Ghana.