Clinical by Morocco? Not exactly, but they did respond well to the early concession of that absurd long-distance thunderbolt from Gabadinho Mhango, dominating the rest of the match. In the end, after Youssef En-Nesyri equalised on the stroke of half-time, a Moroccan winner seemed inevitable, and Achraf Hakimi delivered it with a world-class free kick. Morocco, searching for only their second win in the competition after their sole victory in 1976, march on to the quarters, facing either Ivory Coast or Egypt on Sunday. Malawi are off home, but having made it through to the knockouts on only their third appearance, will return to a welcome befitting their staunch efforts. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
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FULL TIME: Morocco 2-1 Malawi
Amrabat deals with one last Malawian hail Mary, and Morocco make it through to the quarters!
90 min +3: Hakimi has a lash from distance. Thomu fumbles the low drive, the ball breaking to El Haddadi, who somehow misses from six yards from a not-particularly-tight angle on the left.
90 min +2: “A lot of desire and pride shown by both teams tonight,” writes Simon McMahon. “Too bad only one can stay in the tournament.” Yep. Morocco have been miles the better side, but the Flames scored a worldie and have fought like hell to keep themselves alive.
90 min +1: Barkok gives a silly free kick away on the Malawian left. The ball’s swung into a crowded mixer. Chembezi gets overly physical and the whistle goes to release the pressure on Morocco. All very tense.
90 min: Malawi will have four minutes to source an equaliser.
89 min: Chembezi, desperately seeking possession gives Mmaee a knee in the coccyx. Ooyah, oof, that’s gotta hurt. A free kick on halfway, and a chance for Morocco to run down some precious time.
88 min: Aboukhlal comes on for El-Nesyri, and nearly wins a header from a left-wing cross with his first touch. Malawi clear.
87 min: Fodyah has time out on the left to size up a cross, Malawi having thrown plenty of men up into the Moroccco box. He blooters an awful effort high over everyone and out for a goal kick.
86 min: Davie goes sliding in on Aguerd, both sets of studs showing. Both players, for very different reasons, are fortunate that no contact is made.
84 min: Barkok sprays a long diagonal ball towards Hakimi, in acres on the right. His low cross is smacked out for a corner by Chembezi, with Mmaee lurking to slam home. Saiss and Aguerd get in each other’s way at the corner, and Malawi’s hopes of forcing extra time remain in tact.
82 min: Morocco also swap a couple of players. El Haddadi and Barkok come on for Louza and Boufal.
80 min: Papers are exchanged, the board goes up, and finally Fodyah, Ngalande and Davie come on for Madinga, Idana and Sanudi.
79 min: Malawi prepare to throw the dice by making a triple change. This is taking some time, because there’s a problem with the admin.
77 min: Morocco should be home and hosed. Mmaee tussles with Chaziya down the inside-left channel and into the box. He considers going over, looking for a penalty, but charges for the byline instead, pulling back for El-Nesyri, who fires towards the bottom left. The ball flies inches wide. Big chance.
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76 min: Turns out Mhango was booked for telling the referee that Hakimi moved the ball before taking his free kick. It does indeed look as though there’d been a little cheeky re-spotting of the dead ball, but nothing particularly egregious, so take nothing away from the quality of the strike.
74 min: Can Malawi respond? As things stand, Morocco will face either Ivory Coast or Egypt in the quarters on Sunday.
72 min: That was an absolute peach, and Hakimi literally takes a bow. He deserves the ovation he receives.
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GOAL! Morocco 2-1 Malawi (Hakimi 70)
This is one hell of a strike! Hakimi takes a short run-up and curls an out-to-in effort up and over the wall, and back down towards the very top right-hand corner. Thomu had no chance whatsoever!
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69 min: Before the free kick is taken, Mhango is booked for some cutting-edge chat. Hakimi stands over the ball, and ...
68 min: Hakimi is causing all sorts of bother down the right again. He pulls back for Amallah, who is clipped by Phiri, 25 yards out, just to the right of centre. Another free kick in another dangerous position.
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67 min: Common sense prevails, and it’s just a corner, from which nothing comes.
66 min: Hakimi drives down the right and pace and crosses low. The ball clanks off the sliding Chembezi’s arm. Morocco want a penalty. VAR will check, but it’ll be a harsh one if given, because the defender was sliding on the floor and his arm was behind him, in what looked like a natural position.
65 min: Nothing comes of the set piece.
64 min: Mmaee dribbles down the inside-right channel. Hakimi tears past him on the overlap. Mmaee surprises everyone by dropping a shoulder to glide infield, instead of feeding Morocco’s star man. He takes a whack that’s deflected and nearly spins into the top left. Just a corner.
62 min: Madinga crosses from the right towards Mbulu. Bono flaps. Mbulu mistimes his leap. Everyone misses the ball, and Morocco get away with one. Mbulu claims a penalty, but he’s never getting one.
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61 min: Boufal takes the free kick himself but can’t beat the first man. Malawi break, and Mhango, once again with an eye for the spectacular, tries to beat Bono from 15 yards inside his own half! The ball rolls apologetically to the keeper’s feet. Full marks for ambition, if nothing else.
60 min: Sanudi is booked for a mistimed lunge on Boufal, who had beaten him down the left touchline all ends up. Free kick. Morocco load the box.
59 min: The Malawi captain Banda requires some treatment, so everyone has the opportunity to grab a drink and take a breather. Malawi in particular have covered an awful lot of yards, with Morocco hogging the ball.
57 min: It’s been pretty much all Morocco since the restart, just as it was before the break ... only without the steady flow of chances. Boufal reaches the byline on the left and pulls back to nobody, which encapsulates how things are going at the moment.
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55 min: Masina crosses from a deep position on the left. Mmaee nearly brings it down at the far post, but can’t quite extend his leg to exact telescopic requirements. Goal kick.
53 min: A free kick for Morocco, just inside the Malawi half. Before it can be taken, El Kaabi is replaced by Ryan Mmaee. Then the set piece is lumped into the box. Masina meets it by looping a header towards the top right. Easy pickings for Thomu.
51 min: A long, hopeful punt down the inside-left channel nearly releases Mhango. Bono hesitates before finally coming to the edge of his box to claim, just in time. Then the flag goes up for offside anyway.
50 min: Hakimi finds himself in space down the right only to shank a dreadful cross miles behind the goal. A reminder that we’ll go to extra time and penalties if necessary this evening.
49 min: Madinga makes good down the inside-right channel and aims for the top left. It’s always sailing wide and high.
47 min: Boufal romps in from the left and launches a shot across Thomu’s bows. “The Malawian goal was yet another example of great entertainment ensuing when Bono is on the Edge. This tournament moves in mysterious ways. PS: U2 shot their Mysterious Ways video in Morocco.” Peter Oh, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week. Try the ndolé.
Malawi get the second half underway. They’ve replaced Muyaba with Mbulu up front.
Half-time reading. In today’s other round-of-16 match, Senegal beat nine-man Cape Verde 2-0. Liverpool’s Sadio Mané scored the opener but was later hospitalised with concussion.
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HALF TIME: Morocco 1-1 Malawi
That was entertainment right out of the top drawer. One of the all-time great goals from long distance by Gabadinho Mhango, a one-man supershow in goal from Charles Thomu, and a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser from Youssef En-Nesyri. More please!
45 min +4: Mhone, who had returned just after the equaliser, can’t continue, and Phiri comes on in his place.
45 min +3: Another cross, another chance for Morocco, as Amallah heads inches over the bar from eight yards. What a Spursesque injury-time turnaround that would have been.
GOAL! Morocco 1-1 Malawi (El-Nesyri 45+2)
Louza probes down the left. He pulls back for Amallah, who crosses long. El-Nesyri rises highest at the far post and powers a header through the hands of Thomu, beaten at last. It’s fair to say this had been coming.
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45 min +1: Boufal’s long corner is no good.
45 min: Amallah wins a corner down the right. Before it can be taken, Mhone goes down with cramp and is loaded onto the stretcher. While that’s happening, the board goes up, and there will be three added minutes.
43 min: Space for Boufal in the box down the left channel. He’s one on one with Thomu, and should really slot, but leans back and lifts his shot over the bar. How on earth are Morocco not level at the very least?!
41 min: Boufal sashays down the right and pulls back for Hakimi, who opens his body and attempts to send a first-time forensic sidefoot into the bottom left. Thomu extends at full length to fingertip onto the left-hand post and away! Then another phase of Moroccan attack, Boufal cutting in from the right and larruping towards the bottom near corner. Thomu hacks away with his feet. This is an outstanding goalkeeping performance.
39 min: Amrabat hangs a leg across Muyaba in the centre circle and is slightly fortunate to escape censure. The first sign of slight frustration from the Moroccans.
37 min: A deep cross into the Malawi box from the left. Hakimi tries to Van Basten a volley home from a tight angle on the right, but can’t find a gap. Malawi are hanging onto this lead with great determination.
36 min: Saiss creams long down the left. It looks as though the ball’s sailing out for a goal kick, but Boufal brings it down and kills it gorgeously on the byline, then cuts back for El-Nesyri, who toe-pokes a clumsy first-time shot towards the bottom left. Easy for Thomu. Morocco are really knocking at the door now, though.
34 min: Louza loops the free kick in deep. Saiss swings a leg at the dropping ball, six yards out, and aims for the top left. The ball caroms off the underside of the crossbar and away. One inch below, and Morocco were level.
33 min: Madinga is booked for a crude clip on Hakimi’s ankle. A free kick just to the right of the Malawi box. Better news for Malawi: Chembezi is cleared to continue and he’s back on.
31 min: It’s fortunate that Chembezi turned his head just before contact, or he’d have taken that square in the grid. He’s still bundled onto a stretcher and carried off, but the doctor has given the bench the thumbs up, so hopefully they’re just going to do another couple of checks and it’s nothing serious.
29 min: El-Mesyri and Chembezi compete for a high ball in the Malawi box. The Moroccan goes for a spectacular bicycle kick. He only succeeds in accidentally toe-punting the Malawi defender upside the head. On come the doctors.
28 min: Hakimi wedges towards the top right. It’s heading in. Thomu claws out. The ball drops to Louza, to the right of the goal. Faced with a tight angle, and El Kaabi in the middle waiting to tap home, he goes for the shot. Thomu parries, and nothing comes of the resulting corner. A calmer player than Louza would have set up El Kaabi there.
27 min: Boufal is bowled over clumsily by Chaziya, just outside the Malawi D to the right. A free kick in a very dangerous position here. Hakimi’s eyes light up.
25 min: Saiss goes long in the hope of finding Boufal on the edge of the Malawi box. Goal kick. It’s a bit early for desperate Hail Marys.
23 min: It could so easily be 2-0 to Malawi! Mhone, deep on the right, creams a diagonal ball towards the scorer Mhango, who is clear down the inside-left channel! He strides into the box and fires low across a rooted Bono. The ball sails inches wide of the bottom-right corner. Mhango is causing Morocco all sorts of hassle.
21 min: Masina bombs down the left at scorching pace, then cuts back for Louza, who can’t sort his feet to get a shot away. Morocco are beginning to ask some serious questions of the currently-on-top underdogs.
20 min: Space for Hakimi down the right. He crosses low and hard. Chaziya miscontrols on the edge of his six-yard box, and the ball finds El-Nesyri, who spins and squirts a first-time shot inches wide of the left-hand post. Not sure Thomu was getting there had it been on target.
18 min: The ball breaks back to Masina, who flays a wild long-distance effort yards over the bar.
17 min: Boufal’s first corner leads to another. The second one is hit long, and now it’ll be a third corner in quick succession out on the left. Louza’s delivery is no good, but Morocco recycle possession, Boufal dribbling down the left and cutting back for Louza, whose fierce shot is parried well by Thomu. A confidence-builder for the keeper after that earlier spill.
15 min: Louza has a crack from Mhangoian distance. Chembezi blocks with his head, the ball sailing out for a corner on the right. Morocco load the box.
14 min: Other than that cross, Morocco have yet to respond to that preposterous opening goal. They’ll feel a little shell-shocked, and no wonder. A real bolt of lightning from nowhere.
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12 min: Morocco show in attack for the first time, Hakimi curling in low from the right, Thomu in the Malawi goal spilling nervously with red shirts nearby. Chembezi hacks clear to get his keeper out of bother.
11 min: That was a moment of sublime genius. He bought a ticket for the raffle and hit the ball powerfully, but so sweetly. That took amazing judgement, skill, and no little chutzpah.
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9 min: Well, well, well. You’ll be seeing that one again.
ASTONISHING GOAL!!! A MOMENT OF GENIUS!!! Morocco 0-1 Malawi (Mhango 7)
A goal for the ages! Chirwa plays a ball down the left channel for Mhango, who has his back to goal, 30 to 35 yards out. He turns infield, spots the keeper off his line, and whips a huge dipping curler into the top right from silly distance! Bono wasn’t even too far out; he was on the edge of his six-yard box when he was beaten. Unstoppable! Unstoppable from 35 yards!
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6 min: It’s Morocco who are stringing most of the passes together during these early exchanges, but it’s all in the middle of the park. The final ball lacking so far, Malawi holding their shape.
4 min: Chriwa rakes a free kick down the left channel in the hope of releasing Madinga. There’s too much juice on the pass and the ball flies out for a goal kick.
3 min: It’s 28th versus 129th, seeing you ask.
2 min: Morocco ping it around. When they lose possession, the ball’s hammered upfield, Mhango giving chase for Malawi. A pattern set, with over 100 places between the teams in the Fifa rankings?
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Morocco get the ball rolling. The stadium is sparsely populated, but there’s plenty of anticipatory noise nonetheless.
Before kick-off, time to silently reflect on the poor souls who went to the match last night but didn’t come back. A poignant minute perfectly observed.
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Here come the teams! Morocco wear first-choice red, forcing Malawi into second-choice green. The anthems ring proudly out across the Ahmadou Ahidjo. We’ll be off in a minute!
Some pre-match reading (pre- tomorrow’s match, that is). Our man in Yaounde, Jonathan Wilson, previews the last-16 showdown between the Elephants and the Pharaohs.
The teams
Morocco: Bono, Hakimi, Aguerd, Saiss, Masina, Louza, Amallah, Amrabat, Boufal, En-Nesyri, El Kaabi.
Subs: Ounahi, El-Haddadi, Mohamedi, Chair, Aboukhlal, Barkok, Chakla, Tagnaouti, R Mmaee, S Mmaee, Chibi, Tissoudali.
Malawi: Thomu, Sanudi, Chaziya, Chembezi, C Chirwa, Mhone, Banda, Idana, Madinga, Muyaba, Mhango.
Subs: Petro, Cholopi, G Chirwa, Mbulu, Fodyah, Banda, Ngalande, Kakhobwe, Chester, Ndhlovu, Davie, Phiri.
Referee: Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (Burundi)
Preamble
Morocco - the 1976 champions, the Atlas Lions, the team of PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, Romain Saïss of Wolves and former Southampton star Sofiane Boufal - are the favourites for this round of 16 match. But should you need further illustration of Malawi’s underdog status tonight, here’s head coach Mario Marinica on the facilities laid on for his squad at this Africa Cup of Nations. “It’s absolutely shocking,” he fumed. “Would you imagine Sadio Mane or Harry Kane having their underpants and their clothes to be washed by themselves and to hang on the bushes? You never do that. But Malawi had to go through that. Would you imagine not to have enough food?” Penny for the thoughts of Roy Keane.
Whatever happens tonight, and despite the off-field arrangements, this 2021 Africa Cup of Nations will be the most successful in Malawi’s history. This is only their third Afcon, and it’s the first time they’ve made it into the knockout stages. In the group, the Flames narrowly lost 0-1 to Guinea, beat Zimbabwe 2-1, and were a controversial VAR decision away from beating Senegal. So they’ll be no pushovers. But Morocco have won 11 of their last 12 games in all competitions, the sole exception being the 2-2 draw with Gabon last Tuesday. They saw off Ghana and Comoros in their previous two group matches, and are genuine contenders for a second title. But this is knockout football, so you never know. Kick off is at 8pm at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé, Cameroon, 7pm GMT. It’s on!
