By John Essien
Morocco’s Captain Ghizlane Chebback hit a first-half winner as the Atlas Lionesses defeated debutants Burkina Faso 1-0 in their opening Group A clash of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Rabat on Saturday, 2 July 2022.
It was an entertaining show as both teams squared off for a first win to kick start the competition on a bright note. However, it was the home side who secured the vital points having dominated proceedings.
Burkinabees’ game-plan was clear, to try and absorb the Moroccan pressure and use their pace to hit the home side on the break.
The breakthrough for Morocco came just before the half-hour mark as Chebback squeezed a free-kick in at the near post from the edge of the box.
The Moroccans could have won the encounter by a wide margin as they dominated both the possession and the territory stats.
The home side had a huge scare with 15 minutes remaining as goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi had to make a double save from Burkina Faso’s Limata Nikiema and Aicha Milllogo, who both seemed destined to score.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Super Falcons of Nigeria begin their 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Group C campaign against major rivals South Africa on Monday at the Stade Moulay Hassan in Rabat.
The Super Falcons go into the game as defending champions and they would be aiming to ensure victory in their journey to rule the continent for a record 10th time.
