Morocco’s Karim El Berkaoui celebrates after scoring his team’s third goal.
Doha, Qatar: Title-contenders Morocco showcased a fiery first-half performance to beat qualifiers Comoros 3-1 in Group B at Khalifa International Stadium, kicking off the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 on a strong note.
Morocco sealed the match in the first half, with Soufiane Bouftini giving them the lead in the fifth minute, followed by goals from Tarik Tissoudali (11th minute) and Karim El Berkaoui (45+4 minutes).
Bouftini rose to meet a cross with a powerful header, while a deflected strike from Tissoudali had debutants Comoros reeling. A diving header from El Berkaoui in first-half stoppage time extended Morocco’s advantage.
As Comoros showed in their play-off win against Yemen, they are never fully out of a match. The tournament debutants pulled one back through a Mohamed Boulacsout own goal in the 56th minute, but that was as close as they came.
Morocco also had a late penalty appeal turned down after a VAR review, yet they made an impressive start to their Arab Cup campaign.
“A win is extremely important in opening matches, and the game against Comoros was not easy. I thank the players for their strong performance,” Morocco coach Tarik Sektioui said.
Morocco players celebrate a goal yesterday.
“Comoros wanted to come back in the second half, while we tried to keep a clean sheet and rely on counter-attacks to score more goals. We had scoring opportunities, and the referee denied us a clear penalty kick.”
The Atlas Lions will now meet Oman on Friday at Education City Stadium.
Comoros coach Hamada Jambay hopes for an improved performance when his team returns to action the same day against Saudi Arabia at Al Bayt Stadium.
“We made a number of mistakes against Morocco and conceded three early goals, making it difficult for us to come back in the match,” he said after the defeat.
