Bundesliga at AFCON: El Khannouss makes starting debut as hosts progress

Bilal El Khannouss starts for the first time at AFCON in Morocco’s Round of 16 win over Tanzania.

Morocco joined Senegal and Mali in qualifying for the quarter-final of the 35th edition of the African Cup of Nations. The hosts were the overwhelming favorites against Tanzania, but they had to wait until the 64th minute for the all-important goal.

Brahim Díaz maintained his record of scoring in every game with a fine strike from a difficult angle, although the goalkeeper was clearly at fault. Moments after his free-kick rattled the crossbar, ex-BVB fullback Achraf Hakimi was credited for the assist on his first start of the tournament.

Similarly, Stuttgart’s in-form attacker Bilal El Khannouss received his first starting berth. Including the tournament in Côte d’Ivoire, all the previous five appearances by the 21-year-old came off the bench. Bayer Leverkusen’s Eliesse Ben Seghir came on for the last 15 minutes.

Azzedine Ounahi, who was one of the best midfielders in the 2022 World Cup, isn’t expected to feature again in the tournament due to injury. On the positive side, Morocco haven’t conceded a goal from open play so far in the competition. Walid Regragui’s team will face the winners of South Africa and Cameroon when the quarter-final starts on Friday.