Morocco’s Atlas Lions roared loudly on Monday by inflicting a 5-1 loss on Nambia in their opening African Nations Cup game. Goals from Tarik Sektioui and Moncef Zerka put the Lions ahead of Ghana, to the top of Group A. Morocco soccer fans are more supportive than ever this season.
The win may have cost the Moroccan team their hat-trick hero, Morocco’s Alloudi, who suffered a knee ligament injury. According to Coach Henri Michel, it is a little early to tell, but Alloudi may be out of the next game against Guinea on Thursday. It is frustrating for the team because he was in great form. Coach Michel was satisfied with the team who opened quickly and controlled the game. He said that the team did not become complacent which is a sign of a good team.
This was the third game for Namibian coach, Arien Schans, to be in charge. The former coach, Ben Bamfuchile died in late December. Coach Schans was disappointed in the way his team played in the first five minutes. Coach Schans told his team that they more like school kids playing against professionals. He reminded his team that they cannot act like this on the international level.
Only a handful of supporters turned out for the Moroccan-Namibia game. Those who did come were treated to a feisty Moroccan team intent on winning. The Atlas Lions were going to show that they were a better team than played in 2006. Those players went home without scoring a single goal. The African Nations Cup goal famine lasted all of two minutes when the Lions scored in with the first move of the game. Captain Youssef Safri started things off by rolling the ball, Marouane Chamakh racing onto the midfielder’s long ball. Chamakh plays in France for Bordeaux, beat his marker with his shot hitting near the goal post. The effort wasn’t for naught, because Alloudi was there to slot the ball into the open net.
Namibia’s defense did not have time to blink an eye when for a second time after a neat 1-2 between Youssef Hadji and Alloui, another was slotted past the goal keeper Abisia Shiningayamwe.
Namibia’s Brave Warriors staged a mini fight back to score in the twenty-second minute when Collin Benjamin set up midfielder Brian Brendell with a close range shot that sailed past Shanangayamwe.
Atlas Lion Sektioui sent the ball flying into the box from the left corner and Alloudi had his third goal, cutting Namibian celebrations short. Sektioui got into the goal fest himself by converting in the 39 minute penalty shot awarded by Cameroonian referee, Evehe Divine after Michael Basser was felled by a Namibian defender.
About an hour into the game Alloudi was carried off the field with his knee injury on a golf cart. But Morocco wasn’t finished yet. The Atlas Lions deepened Namiba’s misery with substitute Zerka heading in a corner in the 73rd minute of the game. For Namibia it was a record loss. For Morocco it was a sweet win, putting the African’s Nations Cup within reach. Morocco soccer team recently won in Rabat competition too, well on their way to the top. Morocco is getting a new soccer stadium, thus improving the game and investments to the sport.
by Carole Morris
