Brahim Diaz extended his 2025 Africa Cup of Nations scoring tally to five goals as he netted again on Friday night to help Morocco beat Cameroon 2-0 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat to send the hosts through to the semifinals.
Morocco dictated the play for majority of the game as expected, with the Atlas Lions’ first goal in the encounter coming in the 26th minute after Diaz’s body touched a header by Ayoub El Kaabi that was apparently going into the net.
The Real Madrid forward has now scored in all the five AFCON matches he played in at the tournament, becoming the first Moroccan player to achieve the feat.
Morocco extended the lead in the 74th minute through Ismael Saibari, who fired a left-footed shot from the centre of the box following a set piece situation to seal the victory for the hosts.
It was the first time that Morocco have beaten Cameroon in AFCON history. The hosts will face the winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal match between Nigeria and Algeria for a place in the semifinals.
Coming into the tournament, Morocco’s head coach, Walid Regragui, said the team’s goal is to win the AFCON after 50 years and the Atlas Lions are edging closer to the dream on home soil.