Brahim Diaz scores the winner as Morocco beat Tanzania 1-0 to reach the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals, extending their unbeaten run to 23 games
REAL Madrid forward Brahim Diaz scored the only goal as Morocco edged Tanzania 1-0 to reach the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals.
Diaz’s 64th-minute strike maintained his goal-a-game record at the tournament and made him the first Moroccan to score in four consecutive AFCON matches.
He later dedicated the victory to injured teammate Azzedine Ounahi, whose shirt he held aloft in celebration.
Morocco will face South Africa or Cameroon in the last eight on Friday.
The host nation squandered numerous chances before Diaz finally broke the deadlock, set up by Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi.
Hakimi was making his first start of the tournament after recovering from a serious ankle injury.
“The competition is growing in intensity and we have just faced our toughest opposition so far in Tanzania,” said Diaz.
“Not everything worked, we know that, but fortunately we managed to secure our qualification.”
Tanzania had the first clear chance in the third minute but Saimon Msuva failed to connect properly with a cross.
Morocco thought they had taken the lead after 15 minutes through Ismael Saibari, but the effort was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
The Atlas Lions dominated possession but were frustrated until Diaz’s clinical finish from Hakimi’s pass.
Tanzania protested for a penalty in added time after a push in the area, but the referee waved play on.
Argentina-born Tanzania coach Miguel Gamondi praised his team’s performance despite the defeat.
“I am so proud of what my team produced,” said Gamondi.
“They showed that the gap between Morocco and us is not as big as people think.”
The victory extends Morocco’s unbeaten run in all matches to 23 games.
Their last defeat was to South Africa at the 2024 AFCON.
