Brahim impresses with Morocco
Brahim Díaz dazzles with Morocco. The Real Madrid striker continues to put in great performances for the Atlas Lions.
This time the victim was Lesotho, who were thrashed 7-0 by Walid Regragui's side in a qualifier for the next Africa Cup of Nations, which will be played on Moroccan soil in its 35th edition in 2025.
The match was an easy one for Morocco due to Lesotho's small size, but the most remarkable fact, in addition to the comprehensive victory, something that is never easy in professional football, is that Morocco has completed the full points in its group after six victories in as many matches played. Morocco are on 18 points in Group B, which also includes second-placed Gabon, Central African Republic and Lesotho.
Morocco's progress has been triumphant, with 26 goals scored and only two conceded. Seven of those goals came against Lesotho and Brahim was the star of the show with a hat trick. The Spanish-Moroccan striker scored three goals in the first half, always coming in on the right side of the Moroccan attack.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui, with group leadership assured to certify qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations, put out a team with a mixture of starters, such as Mazraoui, Aguerd, Amrabat, Ounahi, Abde and Brahim himself, and substitutes and promising players such as Ben Seghir, Rahimi and Aznou to see new stars for future matches of the national team.
Brahim had a big impact on the match thanks to his three goals, the first, second and fourth of the game. The first and second goals came within a quarter of an hour of each other after Morocco's left-wing moves ended with Brahim firing hard underneath Lesotho goalkeeper Moerane.
Rahimi scored the third goal from a corner in the 37th minute and the fourth came in the 42nd minute thanks to Brahim's well-placed shot past Moerane. The fifth goal came from a penalty, converted by Rahimi in stoppage time.
The second half was a mere formality considering the half-time scoreline and goals came from En-Nesyri and Saibari, demonstrating the huge gap between the two teams. In fact, Morocco is ranked 13th in the FIFA rankings and Lesotho 152nd. Moreover, Morocco were semi-finalists in the last World Cup in Qatar, a historic milestone as they became the first African and Arab team to reach the World Cup finals.
Thanks to this new outstanding performance by Brahim, the Spanish-Moroccan footballer continues to claim a greater role not in the national team, but in Real Madrid, where Carlo Ancelotti is not using him much this season, although it must be taken into account that he had a muscle injury of some importance that left him out of the field of play for almost a month and a half.
After this setback, Brahim returned to the pitch and he is giving a good performance, with a balanced and vertical style of football that makes it difficult for opposing defences, and with great effectiveness in front of goal.
It is clear that he has a greater presence in Morocco with a clear starting place. At Real Madrid there is another scenario with strong competition up front against world stars such as Vinicius, Mbappé or Rodrygo.
Brahim has made seven appearances for Real Madrid this season 2024-2025, only two as a starter, and has only scored one goal, although he has been able to provide two assists.
Meanwhile, with Morocco, he has already scored seven goals in qualifiers this year, which shows the high level of confidence he enjoys in the Moroccan national team.
