Morocco scored an 82nd minute goal through former Southampton player Sofiane Boufal, to beat the Black Stars of Ghana
By Kehinde Okeowo
Former Southampton player, Sofiane Boufal seized on a loose ball in the 82nd minute to score seven minutes from time and secure a 1-0 win over Ghana in their opening Group C match.
Boufal scored from close range after a mazy run into the penalty area from Zakaria Aboukhlal that saw him tease the Ghana defence, only to be checked by Thomas Partey, with the deflection sitting perfectly for Boufal to score.
It was a rare moment of quality in an otherwise uneventful Group C game in Yaounde as four-time winners Ghana frustrated their opponents.
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The Atlas Lions came into the game as one of the tournament’s favourites, having won all six of their World Cup qualifiers last year, but the one-time winners got their winning goal courtesy of a defensive mix-up from their opponent.
Wolves defender Romain Saiss came close to scoring for Morocco but he headed his effort narrowly off target in the first half.
Morocco dominated the encounter but nearly went behind in the 73rd minute but keeper Yassine Bounou stopped a curler from Joseph Paintsil, which was heading towards the top corner of the net
After taking the lead, Morocco almost doubled their lead in the closing stages of the gane with Samy Mmaee heading a set-piece just wide.
The Atlas Lions will attempt to make it 6 points in two games when they face debutants Comoros on Friday, while Ghana will attempt to kick start their campaign when they play Gabon on the same day.