Morocco sweep aside Kenya in dominant WAFCON opener

Morocco Women made the perfect start to their Africa Cup of Nations – Women campaign with a commanding 4-0 victory over Kenya Women in Match Round 1, underlining their status as one of the contenders for the continental title.

Morocco W

Kenya W

Substitutions:

Morocco W

Kenya W

Ball possession:

The hosts seized control of the tie early and never allowed Kenya to settle, scoring twice in each half to put the result beyond doubt and set down an early marker in the group stage. Kenya, making their long-awaited return to the tournament, struggled to cope with Morocco’s tempo, pressing and fluid movement in attacking areas.

Passes:

Despite the emphatic scoreline, the statistical record from the match is highly unusual. Official post-game data listed ball possession as Morocco Women 0, Kenya Women 0, with both sides also recorded as having 0 shots on target and 0 shots overall – figures clearly at odds with the four goals scored and the flow of the contest on the pitch. Passing numbers were similarly incomplete in the technical report, with Morocco shown at 0% pass accuracy from 0 total passes, and Kenya given the same totals.

Defense:

Even with those anomalies in the raw data, there was no mistaking the pattern of the game. Morocco controlled territory and dictated where the match was played, pinning Kenya back for long spells and forcing the visitors into hurried clearances and rushed decisions in their own third.

Face-to-face:

Defensive organisation sets platform

Morocco’s back line laid the platform for the victory. Although the interception statistics were recorded at 0 for both teams – with no individual leaders listed – the hosts repeatedly stepped in front of Kenyan passes, killing counter-attacks at source and preventing the visitors from building any rhythm.

The last five games (including this match):

• Morocco W – W
• Kenya W – L

Top 5 Africa Cup of Nations – Women scorers:

Line-ups:

Next games:

• Morocco W will play with Algeria W. July 30 at 20:00 (GMT), on Stade Prince Moulay Hassan.
• Kenya W will play with Senegal W. July 30 at 17:00 (GMT), on Stade Prince Moulay Hassan.