Morocco booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations with a narrow but hard-fought 1–0 victory over Tanzania in a tense Round of 16 encounter, bringing the East Africans’ impressive AFCON 2025 journey to an end.
Playing in front of a lively crowd, the Atlas Lions dominated possession early on but found Tanzania well-organised and disciplined at the back. The Taifa Stars defended deep, closing passing lanes and frustrating Morocco’s creative players, while occasionally breaking forward on the counter.
The decisive moment arrived midway through the second half. After sustained pressure, Morocco finally broke the deadlock when a swift move down the right created space in the box. Paris St-Germain right-back Hakimi fed Diaz to fire past Hussein Masalanga at the goalkeeper’s near post midway through the second half.
A low cross was met by a perfectly timed run, and the Moroccan forward calmly side-footed the ball past the Tanzanian goalkeeper, sending the home fans into celebration. It was a goal born out of patience, movement, and precision.
Despite conceding, Tanzania refused to fold. The East Africans came agonisingly close to an equaliser minutes later when a quick counter-attack split the Moroccan defence, only for the final shot to sail narrowly wide. Another golden chance followed from a set piece, where a free header inside the box was directed just over the crossbar, leaving Tanzanian players with heads in hands.
Morocco, too, had opportunities to double their advantage. A long-range effort rattled the post, while a late one-on-one chance was denied by an excellent save from the Tanzanian goalkeeper, who kept his side in the contest until the final whistle.
In the end, Morocco’s efficiency proved the difference. Tanzania exit AFCON 2025 with pride, having shown resilience, tactical discipline, and moments of real quality against one of the tournament favourites. For Morocco, the narrow win keeps their title ambitions alive as they march on to the quarter-finals.