The 2024 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) got off to an exciting start on Saturday night at the Stade Olympique in Rabat, where hosts Morocco had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Zambia.
Zambia opened the scoring with a goal inside the first minute, shocking the home fans.
After Margaret Belemu launched a swift counterattack, Barbra Banda took advantage of space just outside the box and sent a strong low shot into the bottom left corner.
The Zambians, who appeared brash and aggressive right away, had a fantastic start.
Morocco rapidly rallied and started to advance. Grace Chanda took down Najat Badri in the penalty area in the 12th minute, rewarding their pressure.
Ibtissam Jraïdi scored a calm goal into the top left corner to tie the score after the referee signalled the spot after a quick VAR review. Zambia, though, persisted in causing issues during the break.
Banda changed the play in the 27th minute, cutting through the Moroccan defence with a well-timed through pass that found Racheal Kundananji.
Zambia’s lead was restored as the striker made no mistakes and finished coolly past custodian Khadija Er-Rmichi.
Zambia won 2-1 in the first half, with the visitors playing the more clinical side. In the meantime, Morocco was irritated by a string of close calls and careless finishing, especially by Ghizlane Chebbak and Fatima Tagnaout.
Morocco eventually took control of the ball in the second half, and as the game went on, their efforts became more intense.
They had multiple near misses, including one from Sanaâ Mssoudy that Zambian custodian Ng’ambo Musole stopped at full stretch.
As the clock was ticking, Morocco made the breakthrough.
Chebbak’s incredible goal into the top corner in the 87th minute, after he had picked up the ball outside the box, tied the score at 2-2 and caused loud celebrations in the spectators.
The game finished in a stalemate, which was a fair outcome considering the balance of play, despite a late rush by both teams that failed to find a winner in the closing minutes.
The outcome ends an eight-edition streak and is the first time since 2004 that a WAFCON host has lost their opening game.
With everything still up for grabs, Morocco and Zambia now turn their attention to their remaining Group A games.