International praise for Morocco's start in Africa Cup of Nations Qualification

Morocco's victory over Gabon with a two-goal margin has attracted attention from several international and African media outlets, following the successful start of the Atlas Lions in the Africa Cup of Nations Qualification 2027, despite the absence of several key players in the team's first appearance after their recent participation in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The website 'Goal' discussed Morocco's victory, noting that Noussair Mazraoui gave his national team the lead in the 36th minute, before Soufiane Rahimi doubled the score with a second goal in the 84th minute. The site also highlighted that Morocco tops the group alongside Niger after the first round, awaiting the upcoming match against Lesotho.

In France, the website 'Sports' highlighted Morocco's victory, noting that the team started their journey in the Africa Cup of Nations Qualification with a win over Gabon, while also pointing out the role played by Yassine Bounou in maintaining his team's lead after he saved several attempts from the Gabonese side, especially during the closing minutes.

Marca focused on what it described as the 'old guard' after Morocco's goals came from Noussair Mazraoui and Soufiane Rahimi. The publication also praised the choices made by coach Mohamed Wahbi, particularly by introducing several young players to compensate for the absence of Brahim Díaz and Achraf Hakimi.

ESPN noted Morocco's perfect start in the qualifiers, having secured a 2-0 victory in their opening match, while beIN SPORTS highlighted the success of the Atlas Lions in earning three points, alongside the performance of Yassine Bounou and his role in keeping a clean sheet against late attempts from Gabon.

The praise extended to Gabon coach Sébastien Migné, who acknowledged the difficulty of the encounter against the Moroccan national team, commending the level displayed by the "Atlas Lions" and affirming that the Moroccan team delivered a strong performance across various lines of play.

The Gabonese news agency 'AGP' acknowledged Morocco's superiority during the match, noting their ball possession of nearly 65%, with Noussair Mazraoui opening the scoring before Soufiane Rahimi added the second goal.

The agency also highlighted Yassine Bounou's interventions against attempts from Denis Bouanga and several players from the Gabon national team, which contributed to Morocco's clean sheet and victory in the opening of their campaign in the Africa Cup of Nations Qualification.

Morocco are set to play their second match in the Africa Cup of Nations Qualification against Lesotho next Tuesday, starting at 1 PM GMT, in search of continuing their positive start on the road to the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations 2027.