Morocco began their 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with a win against Burkina Faso at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat on Saturday.
The match was preceded by a spectacular opening ceremony which paid tribute to women, Moroccan and African culture and featured a performance from rising Moroccan music star Manal Benchlika.
The hosts scored their only goal through a free-kick by Ghizlane Chebbak in the 29th minute after referee Salima Mukansanga had awarded Morocco a second free-kick after a VAR review of a foul just outside the box.
Morocco dominated the match but were unable to add to their tally through a combination of good goalkeeping by Burkina Faso’s Mariam Ouattara, last-ditch defending and wasteful finishing.
After the match, Chebbak appealed to the home fans to continue turning up in numbers and spur on the team to qualify for the knockout stage and book a place in the Women’s World Cup.
The tournament also serves as the African qualifiers for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the top four teams at the WAFCON will automatically qualify for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Two more teams will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs to contest for the final three FIFA Women’s World Cup spots.
(Story compiled with assistance from wire reports)