Morocco booked their place in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-finals on Tuesday as Achraf Hakimi’s stunning free-kick sealed a 2-1 win over Malawi in Yaounde, Cameroon.
The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) full-back struck 20 minutes from time at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo after Youssef En-Nesyri canceled out Gabadinho Mhango’s magnificent early effort.
After scraping through Group B in third-place, Malawi was making their first appearance in the AFCON knockout stages.
The Flames took a surprise lead in the seventh minute, Mhango catching Yassine Bounou off his line with a wonderful 40-yard lob.
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Morocco had only lost one of their previous 11 games when facing an opponent in the competition for the first time.
Vahid Halilhodzic’s side equalized in first-half stoppage time as En-Nesyri headed home from Selim Amallah’s deep cross.
The contest looked possibly set for extra-time until Hakimi emphatically beat Charles Thomu from 30 yards to send his nation through to the last eight.
In the quarter-finals, Morocco will face either Côte d’Ivoire or Egypt.(DPA/NAN)
