Morocco face DR Congo on Sunday knowing that a win will cement their place in the round of 16. Will they live up to their billing or will we see yet another AFCON upset? Marc Strydom previews.
AFCON 2023
Match 21 – Morocco v DR Congo
Sunday 21 January | 16:00
Morocco face a stern test when they meet DR Congo in their second Group F match that takes place Sunday at the Laurent Pokou Stadium. The objective will be clear from coach Walid Regragui as a win will see them top Group F and progress to the knockout stages.
To Win Match
Morocco 6/10 | Draw 23/10 | DR Congo 48/10
The number one FIFA-ranked nation on the African continent got their AFCON campaign off to a flyer! The Atlas Lions barely broke a sweat in what turned out to be a routine 3-0 victory over a Tanzania outfit that was reduced to ten men. Hakim Ziyech delivered a fierce free kick on the half-hour mark which was fumbled into the path of Romain Saiss, by the Tanzanian goalkeeper. The Moroccan captain was alert and made no mistake as he converted the chance to hand his side the lead.
Morocco controlled large parts of the game, playing expansive football. The 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finalists grew in confidence and played a brand of football that can only be described as ‘easy on the eye’. The second half proved too much for Tanzania and the pressure broke when Novatus Dismas received his marching orders.
Precise passing and creativity unlocked the Kilimanjaro Stars’ defence and the ever-present Azzedine Ounahi applied a brilliant finish to double their lead. Three minutes later PSG’s Achraf Hakimi played in Sevilla’s Yousef En-Nesyri who dispatched to make it 3-0 and secure the three points at these AFCON finals.
Coach Walid Regragui won’t get ahead of himself after an impressive first game. The style of football they play with the calibre of players at his disposal, makes Morocco one of the most difficult opponents to face. DR Congo will be a very different challenge, especially after their stalemate with Zambia. The last meeting saw Morocco walk away with a comfortable 4-1 victory against DR Congo, but nothing can be taken for granted as Morocco look to make it two wins from two games.
DR Congo kicked their AFCON campaign off with a rather sluggish start when they faced Zambia at the famous Laurent Pokou Stadium. The Leopards went a goal down after Patson Daka found Kings Kangwa in open space to put Chipolopolo 1-0 up after some unconvincing defending from the Congolese. Despite going a goal down, The Leopards stuck to their guns and equalized four minutes later after Brentford forward Yoane Wissa got on the end of Cedric Bakambu’s cutback.
Coach Sebastien Desabre will walk away highly disappointed with the result after dominating the game, creating countless chances in the final third, but failed to convert these chances only to earn a point after a 1-1 stalemate with Zambia.
The focus will turn to the Atlas Lions who meet with the mentality of taking this fixture as a “must-win” if they have any hopes of making it to the next round. A clear game plan will be required from coach Sebastien Desabre and his technical team if they are to get anything from an attack-heavy Morocco.
Identifying the weaknesses and utilising their physicality in the right areas could potentially help their cause in coming away with a positive result. It has been three games since DR Congo have kept a clean sheet and without a win making this an even tougher challenge to face.
Chancel Mbemba, Arthur Masuako and Yoane Wissa will need to show up on the day and use their experience to help the team get the much-needed three points.
Verdict: Morocco 6/10
This will be an entertaining game with both nations going in for the kill. It will come down to fine margins, but I believe Morocco will flex their muscles and have too much for DR Congo to handle. Morocco will pick up their second win of the campaign and go on to finish as Group F winners.
