Friendly: Morocco dominates Bahrain

The Morocco national team began their October FIFA window with a 1-0 victory over Bahrain on Thursday in an international friendly played in Rabat.

The scoreline obscures what was a dominant performance from the Atlas Lions, who laid siege to their counterparts at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in the nation’s capital.

Bahrain did excellently to hold out for the opening ninety minutes but Jawad El Yamiq’s header in second half stoppage time gave the home supporters something to celebrate. The Saudi-based center back leaped up to nod in Achraf Hakimi’s corner kick.

Bahrain hardly had the ball and could only manage two shots, while the hosts produced almost thirty shots and ten shots on target. The Atlas Lions launched constant attacks down the wings through Hakimi and Abde Ezzalzouli but Bahrain goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfalla produced an outstanding performance backed by his strong defensive line.

But eventually the goal came in the fourth minute of stoppage time in the second half to give the hosts the edge. Morocco, already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, will finish up their qualifying campaign in Group E of the CAF region against Republic of Congo on Tuesday as they focus on preparing for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations they are hosting beginning in December.

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