Brahim Diaz continued his excellent form as he helped Morocco secure their spot in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations following a narrow 1–0 victory over Tanzania in Rabat on Sunday.
Diaz scored his fourth goal for Morocco at the Afcon to put the hosts into the last eight.
Ahead of the match, coach Walid Regragui had warned his team to not take the opponents lightly, even though the hosts were the top ranked team at the tournament while Tanzania had squeezed into the knockout stage among the four best third-placed finishers.
As it turned out, Regragui was right. Morocco dominated possession but Tanzania had opportunities too, and it took a fine strike from Diaz to book a meeting with the winners of Sunday’s second fixture between South Africa and Cameroon.
Captain Achraf Hakimi fed Diaz on the right side of the box on 64 minutes and the Real Madrid playmaker worked his way through before firing into the goal from a tight angle.
The hosts thought they had made the early 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 sign of things to come.
Morocco wasted several other chances but were also fortunate that Tanzania were profligate too, with Simon Msuva and Feisal Salum missing golden opportunities.
Tanzania almost stunned the hosts when Feisal Toto found himself unmarked inside the box in the 56th minute but sent his effort high over the bar.
After the match, Diaz said he was glad to get the job done, although it was far from impressive.
“The competition is growing in intensity and we have just faced our toughest opposition so far against this Tanzanian team," Diaz told the Afcon website.
"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.”
ATP WORLD No 1
2004 Roger Federer
2005 Roger Federer
2006 Roger Federer
2007 Roger Federer
2008 Rafael Nadal
2009 Roger Federer
2010 Rafael Nadal
2011 Novak Djokovic
2012 Novak Djokovic
2013 Rafael Nadal
2014 Novak Djokovic
2015 Novak Djokovic
2016 Andy Murray
2017 Rafael Nadal
2018 Novak Djokovic
2019 Rafael Nadal
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz S 450
Price, base / as tested Dh525,000 / Dh559,000
Engine: 3.0L V6 biturbo
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
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Torque: 500Nm at 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.0L / 100km
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
