Sensational El Kaabi bicycle kick fires Morocco past Comoros in AFCON opener
Ayoub El Kaabi lit up the Africa Cup of Nations opener with a sensational overhead kick as Morocco sealed a 2-0 victory over Comoros on Sunday to make a winning start to their campaign.
The Atlas Lions had already taken the lead through Brahim Diaz before El Kaabi’s acrobatic finish, a strong early contender for goal of the tournament, put the result beyond doubt and ensured the host nation collected their first three points.
Morocco were handed a golden opportunity to go ahead inside the opening 11 minutes when Iyad Mohamed brought down Diaz in the penalty area.
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However, Soufiane Rahimi’s spot-kick was superbly kept out by Comoros goalkeeper Yannick Pandor, who dived low to deny the forward.
Despite dominating possession and pinning Comoros back for much of the first half, the hosts struggled to seriously test Pandor again before the interval.
That changed just 10 minutes into the second period when Diaz found himself unmarked in the box and calmly swept Noussair Mazraoui’s cutback into the net to finally break the deadlock.
Comoros attempted to respond and nearly found an equaliser on the counter, with Rafiki Said racing through shortly after, only to fire a low-effort shot straight at Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Pandor then produced a remarkable double save to keep his side in contention, first parrying Mazraoui’s strike into the path of Jawad El Yamiq before springing back to his feet to punch away the defender’s follow-up.
However, Morocco’s pressure eventually told. Introduced from the bench, El Kaabi combined neatly with Anass Salah-Eddine before unleashing an unstoppable bicycle kick that flew into the net, sealing a memorable victory and sending the home crowd into raptures.
The result gives Morocco a confident start to their Africa Cup of Nations campaign, while El Kaabi’s moment of brilliance will be remembered as one of the standout highlights of the tournament’s opening night.
