Morocco beat Central African Republic to preserve unbeaten record in CAN qualifying group
With four wins in four matches, the Moroccan national team has consolidated its position as group leader after beating the Central African Republic 4-0 at the Stade Barthélemy Boganda in Oujda in the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025.
After last Saturday's crushing 5-0 win over the Central African side, with a brace and assist from Greek Panathinaikos midfielder Azzedine Onuahi, coach Walid Regragui put his faith in the youngsters for the fourth match of the qualifiers.
With no player over the age of 28, the Atlas Lions' coach tried out a new starting eleven, giving the young French Ligue 1 sensation Eliesse Ben Seghir the reigns in midfield.
The 19-year-old Eliesse Ben Seghir, star of current French league leaders Monaco, scored a great goal in the 34th minute to open the scoring. After a good pass from Sofiane Rahimi, the young player shot at goal and, although his shot hit the post, he managed to tap in the rebound to put Morocco ahead.
Two minutes later, the star of the Principality side scored another goal for Morocco, becoming the youngest player to score a brace for the national team, surpassing Marouane Chamakh's record.
In the second half, Soufiane Rahimi continued to lead Morocco's attacks and in the 48th minute he won a penalty after running quickly into the box. Youssef En-Nesyri stepped up and calmly slotted home from the spot, scoring the team's third goal. In the 65th minute, Abdessamad Ezzalzouli scored a goal with a fine right-footed shot after receiving a pass from Rahimi.
Morocco have now secured their fourth consecutive win in qualifying, beating Gabon, Lesotho and Central African Republic 5-0 in the first leg last Saturday. The Atlas Lions lead Group B with 12 points from four matches.
With yesterday's win, the Regragui-led side are one win away from reaching 20 wins with the national team, but that will have to wait until the match against Gabon on 11 November. So far they have 19 wins, eight draws and four defeats in 31 matches.
For that match, the national team will only be without Manchester United right-back Noussair Mazraoui due to symptoms of possible arrhythmia, but the team's doctors have said it is nothing serious. ‘Noussair Mazraoui is not suffering from any serious illness. God willing, he will be with us at the next training camp in November,’ Regragui told a press conference.
In addition to playing Gabon, Morocco will have to play Lesotho on 19 November, who are likely to be out of contention for the final matchday, where the coach is likely to try out less experienced players. Eliesse Ben Seghir is certain to be in the squad, if injuries are not a problem.
Expectations are extremely high and the affection of the dressing room for the young Monaco starlet is palpable on social media. In recent posts, key players such as Achraf Hakimi of PSG and Hakim Ziyech of Galatasaray commented: ‘A star is born’.
The progression seems to be good. With 2 goals and 2 assists in the French competition, Seghir has positioned himself as the sixth best player in the league, only behind stars like Ousmane Dembélé and Barcola of PSG, and as the best young player (under 21) in the league.
His current market value is 13 million, according to digital portal Transfermarkt, but if he maintains his early-season performances and performs well at the Africa Cup of Nations, he is sure to be on the radar of Europe's biggest clubs.
The preparation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is very important because of the home advantage the Atlas Lions will have. After a strong showing at the last World Cup where the team reached the semi-finals, a milestone no Arab and African team has ever achieved before, the national team are favourites to win the tournament along with perennial contenders Egypt, Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire.