Hosts Morocco were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against Zambia in an entertaining start to the 2024 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) at the Stade Olympique in Rabat on Saturday.
It was Zambia who struck first, stunning the home crowd with a goal inside the opening minute.
Barbra Banda capitalised on space just outside the box, unleashing a powerful low shot into the bottom left corner following a rapid counter-attack initiated by Margaret Belemu.
It was a dream start for the Zambians, who looked sharp and aggressive from the outset.
Morocco regrouped quickly and began to push forward. Their pressure was rewarded in the 12th minute after Najat Badri was brought down by Grace Chanda in the penalty area.
Following a brief VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot, and Ibtissam Jraïdi stepped up to level the scores with a composed strike into the top left corner.
However, Zambia continued to pose problems on the break. In the 27th minute, Banda turned provider, slicing through the Moroccan defence with a perfectly timed through ball that found Racheal Kundananji.
The striker made no mistake, finishing coolly past goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi to restore Zambia’s lead.
The first half ended 2-1 in Zambia’s favour, with the visitors looking the more clinical side. Morocco, meanwhile, were left frustrated by a series of near misses and wasteful finishing, particularly from Fatima Tagnaout and Ghizlane Chebbak.
The second half saw Morocco gradually dominate possession, and their efforts intensified as the game progressed.
They came close on several occasions, including a powerful shot from Sanaâ Mssoudy that was saved at full stretch by Zambian goalkeeper Ng’ambo Musole.
With time running out, Morocco finally found the breakthrough. In the 87th minute, Chebbak picked up the ball outside the box and unleashed a brilliant strike into the top corner, levelling the match at 2-2 and sparking wild celebrations in the stands.
Despite a late surge, neither side could find a winner in the closing minutes, nor the match ended in a draw — a fair result given the balance of play.
The result marks the first time since 2004 that a WAFCON host has failed to win their opening match, ending an eight-edition streak.
Both Morocco and Zambia now look ahead to their remaining Group A fixtures with everything still to play for. –Cafonline.com
