Morocco – Ghana. Superb parade by Bounou on a beautifully wound strike by Paintsil. Vahid Halilhodzic’s men were hot.
18:38 – Boufal liberates Morocco
Goal for Morocco! After a good pass from Hakimi in the box, Aboukhlal manages to turn around but sees Partey taking the ball away from him. The latter rolls towards 6 meters where Boufal drags and with a pivot crosses a perfect strike to deceive the vigilance of Wollacott (1-0, 82nd).
18:35 – First change
Taking advantage of the stoppage of play following the head injury of André Ayew, Vahid Halilhodzic made his first change a quarter of an hour from the end of the match. Louza, uninspired and very discreet in the game, is replaced by Tissoudali.
18:35 – Ayew groomed
On a free kick from the right side, Ayew tries to get the ball back at the far post but is too short. On the other hand, his head hits that of Saïss. The former Marseillais remains on the ground and the game is stopped to treat him.
18:31 – Boufal misses his lob
On a ball recovered in the central circle, Boufal looks up and tries to surprise Wollacott, advanced in his area. The Moroccan’s lob is completely missed and goes very far to the left of the goal.
18:30 – The superb stop at Bounou
This is the first real opportunity of the match. On a poorly cleared ball from Aguerd, Paintsil, heading the area, controls and opens his right foot. His ball is perfectly wrapped and requires Bounou to demonstrate all his qualities. The Moroccan goalkeeper relaxes and leaves with a firm hand the Ghanaian attempt (0-0, 72nd).
18:26 – Morocco cannot do it
Finally in an offensive position, Hakimi made use of his quick footing and obtained a free kick on an outside hook which surprised Baba. The open corner is hit by Louza who shows a new technical imprecision. His free kick rises and goes directly to the far post where no teammate is present.
18:25 – Bounou reassures
On the right side, André Ayew fixes his defender and puts it behind Yiadom who has more time to adjust his cross. This is captured with serenity in the air at the far post by Bounou. The keeper procrastinates.
18:22 – Ayew misses the target
On a cross from the left side, André Ayew tries a complicated gesture with a recovery back to goal with his left foot. His attempt starts in a bell above the cage guarded by Bounou.
18:21 – Yellow for Ayew
Caught up in speed by Boufal, André Ayew held back his opponent by the shoulders and made the mistake. After having contested and ironically the decision, the former Marseillais is warned.
18:18 – Aguerd still as solid
Although taken by the speed on the first supports of Paintsil, Aguerd played his position to close the door to the Ghanaian winger.
18:16 – Aboukhlal pulls aside
Boufal achieves a perfect opening in the feet of Aboukhlal. The AZ Alkmaar player pretends to come back inside in front of Amartey and gets off his axis to arm from the left. His shot goes to the left of Wollacott’s goal.
18:14 – Aguerd clears the boss
On the right side, Jordan Ayew managed to overflow and break through a strong center flush with the ground in front of the goal. His brother and elder, André Ayew seeks to cut the trajectory at the near post but Aguerd springs from behind and does not embarrass the ball by sending it for a corner.
18:12 – Moroccan solidity
Morocco has shown exceptional solidity for nearly a year. Indeed, in 2021, Vahid Halilhodzic’s men conceded only seven goals (for 56 scored) in twenty matches.
18:11 – Paintsil too alone
The Moroccans feigned the corner in the box and opted for a back pass. Paintsil appears and intercepts before starting the block. The Ghanaian striker progresses alone and is locked up by four opponents. He wants to give on the left towards Sulemana but the Rennais is preceded by Ounahi.
18:09 – Aboukhlal close to countering Wollacott
Partey is very close to making a mistake. The Ghanaian midfielder does not support enough his withdrawal and forces Wollacott to release in disaster under pressure from Aboukhlal.