By Akosua Adjei
Morocco welcomed the rest of the World to the Prince Moulay Abdullah Stadium to a colorful opening ceremony for the Total Energies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations as Manal rocked the stage.
With Rwandan referee Salina Mukansanga in the middle we were set to witness the first match of the tournament between host Morocco and debutant Burkina Faso.
It was a balance first 10 minutes but with the physicality of Burkina Faso, Morocco were awarded a free-kick which was saved by Marian Ouattara but after a possible penalty check on the VAR, referee Salina re-awarded the penalty which captain Ghizale Chebbak slotted in a low shot in the right corner to beat Marian Ouattara and her wall of players to take the first half into a 1-0 lead for Morocco.
In the second half, Burkina Faso came close a couple of times were not sharp upfront. However, Morocco’s star player Ayane seemed to have lost her scoring boots as try as she may not get a ball behind the net.
The opening match ended 1-0 in favour of Morocco with Ghizale Chebbak winning player of the match.
The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is live in HD on GTV Sports+.
