Hosts Morocco produced a commanding performance to secure an emphatic 4-0 victory over Kenya, overwhelming their East African opponents with a ruthless attacking display after surviving an early scare.
With both teams chasing a vital victory, Kenya nearly made the perfect start in the fifth minute. Amunyelat unleashed a powerful strike from outside the penalty area that crashed against the post, denying the visitors an early breakthrough.
Morocco responded almost immediately. Just two minutes later, the hosts came close to opening the scoring when a fierce effort was spilled by Kenyan goalkeeper Awuor, who reacted brilliantly to recover and deny the rebound after the loose ball fell kindly to a Moroccan attacker.
The pressure eventually told as Morocco broke the deadlock through Sakini. A defence-splitting pass carved open the Kenyan backline, allowing the forward to race through before calmly placing a low finish into the bottom-right corner beyond the reach of Awuor to hand the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Kenya continued to threaten despite falling behind and almost restored parity in the 24th minute. Mukhwana made an impressive run into the Moroccan penalty area, but the final connection from a dangerous cut-back failed to trouble the goalkeeper.
Morocco capitalised on that missed opportunity just five minutes later, doubling their advantage when Atiq rose highest to head home from close range and made it 2-0.
The hosts continued to dominate proceedings and extended their lead before the break through Jraidi, who found the back of the net to put Morocco firmly in control heading into half-time.
Morocco wasted little time after the restart as Jraidi grabbed her second goal of the match just a minute into the second half. A beautifully delivered cross into the penalty area found the forward perfectly positioned to tap home and stretch the advantage to 4-0.
Although both sides searched for goals during the remainder of the contest, Morocco remained the superior side from start to finish, controlling possession and creating the better chances as they comfortably saw out an impressive victory.
