North Africans Morocco have reached the last eight of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a narrow 1–0 victory over Tanzania in Rabat on Sunday, as Brahim Diaz’s second-half strike proved decisive.
The breakthrough came after a patient but testing evening for the hosts, who dominated possession but found clear chances hard to come by against a well-organised Tanzanian side determined to extend their historic run at the tournament.
Morocco, captained by Achraf Hakimi for the first time at this edition, controlled the opening exchanges but struggled to turn territorial dominance into goals. Tanzania sat deep, closed spaces efficiently and repeatedly denied the Atlas Lions room to operate in the final third.
The home side thought they had the breakthrough midway through the first half when Ismail Saibari finished from close range in the 24th minute, only for the goal to be ruled out following a VAR review for offside. It was a moment that underlined Morocco’s frustration as the first period ended goalless.
Walid Regragui’s side emerged with greater urgency after the restart. Diaz was immediately involved, forcing a corner with a glancing header, before Bilal El Khannouss fired narrowly over the crossbar in the 52nd minute as Morocco began to turn the screw.
Roared on by a capacity crowd at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex, Morocco finally found the decisive moment just past the hour mark.
Diaz produced a moment of individual brilliance in the 63rd minute, cutting in and finishing from a tight angle to beat the goalkeeper and ignite celebrations in the stands.
The goal was Diaz’s fourth of the tournament, taking him clear at the top of the scoring charts and once again underlining his importance to Morocco’s title ambitions.
With the win, Morocco advance to the quarter-finals, where they will meet Cameroon on Friday at the Stade Al Madina in Rabat.
“The competition is growing in intensity and we have just faced our toughest opposition so far against this Tanzanian team. Not everything worked, we know that, but fortunately, we managed to secure our qualification. Now we will go back to work to be fully ready for the quarter-finals,” said Diaz, who was named Man of the Match.
Courtesy of CafOnline.com
