McTominay-style finish - but what else did Scots learn ab...

What’s Happening

Let’s talk about Hosts Morocco kick off the Africa Cup of Nations with a win over Comoros - but what did we discover about Scotland’s World Cup opponents?

McTominay-style finish - but what else did Scots learn about Morocco? Image source, Image caption, Ayoub El Kaabi (right) scored Moroccos second goal against Comoros By Clive Lindsay BBC Sport Scotland Published 1 hour ago Morocco had their own Scott McTominay to thank as Scotlands World Cup opponents opened the Africa Cup of Nations with a 2-0 victory over Comoros in front of a capacity home crowd. (and honestly, same)

Ayoub El Kaabis stunning overhead kick, reminiscent of the Scotland midfielders iconic strike in the recent World Cup qualifier against Denmark, sealed the three points with 15 minutes remaining for the tournament hosts after Brahim Diaz opened the scoring 10 minutes after half-time.

The Details

The victory over the side ranked 108th in the world in front of a crowd of 60,180 in Rabat extended the Atlas Lions world-record run of consecutive victories to 19. But what did we learn about the second seeds in Scotlands group in the Americas this coming summer?

Hosts Morocco beat stubborn Comoros in Afcon 2025 opener Real Madrid winger likes a dive Diaz likes to go down in the penalty box. The 26-year-old Real Madrid winger was perhaps fortunate to win himself a spot-kick when he looked to initiate contact with Iyad Mohameds planted foot as he tried to wriggle free on the byeline after just 10 minutes.

Why This Matters

Goalkeeper Yannick Pandor beat away Soufiane Rahimis penalty as it was thumped down the centre of goal. Malaga-born Diaz, who switched to Morocco in 2024 after earning one cap for Spain, also claimed for a penalty shortly before the break. This time, he threw himself to the ground under a challenge from two Comoros defenders only to rightly be penalised for a handball before either could put in a challenge.

Players and coaches will be watching how this unfolds closely.

Key Takeaways

• Diaz is a danger The quality of Diazs free-kicks were also sadly lacking.
• But, he was a constant danger when staying on his feet, given licence to drift to both wings as well as attacking through the middle.

The Bottom Line

Diaz is a danger The quality of Diazs free-kicks were also sadly lacking. But, he was a constant danger when staying on his feet, given licence to drift to both wings as well as attacking through the middle.

Thoughts? Drop them below.