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Host nation Morocco shook off a jittery start to defeat Comoros in the competition's inaugural fixture on Sunday, with goals from the Real Madrid attacker and substitute Ayoub El Kaabi in the latter period.

It was a less than dominant showing, though, from the strongly favored Moroccans, who sit 97 places higher than the tiny island nation in the FIFA rankings and were forced to toil hard for the points in rainy conditions at Rabat's national stadium.

Tense Start and Missed Chances

Morocco missed an first-half penalty and were locked at 0-0 at the interval despite controlling the ball, finally opening the scoring in the 55th minute.

The goal came when full-back Mazraoui did well to prevent the ball from going out before slipping it across for Brahim Díaz to calmly pass home.

“The first match is never easy but we delivered in the second half,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui.

The Substitute's Piece of Magic

The tension was subsequently extinguished by a moment of pure genius from Ayoub El Kaabi. Only ten minutes after his introduction, the forward connected with a cross with a stunning overhead kick in the 74th minute, doubling and sealing the win.

Before that, the hosts could have been the lead in the 11th minute after a penalty was awarded for a foul on Brahim Díaz. However, Rahimi's effort was kept out by Comoros goalkeeper Pandor.

The Visitors' Resistance and Second-Half Chance

The underdogs comfortably held Morocco for long periods before the Moroccans' superior firepower eventually made the difference.

Shot-stopper Pandor made a number of further good stops to keep down the score as the match progressed, even though Comoros did have a clear opportunity for an equaliser shortly after Díaz's goal, with Rafiki Saïd shooting straight at keeper Yassine Bounou.

Fitness Worry for Hosts

The three points was somewhat marred by an apparent injury to Morocco's skipper, Saïss, who limped off after the 18th minute in some distress.

The defender had only returned to the international setup recently following a lengthy absence due to ankle surgery.

This result continues Morocco's record-breaking run of successive victories to 19, beating the old record of 15 set by the Spanish national team between 2008 and 2009.