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Morocco to Play AFCON Round of 16 Clash without Boufal, Ziyech


Moroccan players Achraf Hakimi, Sofiane Boufal, Hakim Ziyach and others take part during a training session at the Auguste Denise stadium in San-Pedro on January 20, 2024 on the eve of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations match against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Moroccan players Achraf Hakimi, Sofiane Boufal, Hakim Ziyach and others take part during a training session at the Auguste Denise stadium in San-Pedro on January 20, 2024 on the eve of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations match against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

SAN PEDRO — Moroccan coach Walid Regragui on Monday said the Atlas Lions will be playing their Round of 16 match against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, without star players Sofiane Boufal and Hakim Ziyech.

Speaking during a press conference, Regragui said Boufal, a member of the Atlas Lions team that played at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, got injured in training over the weekend.

“I think his Cup of Nations is over, and so we’ve lost an important player," Regragui said.

"It happened in training, as it could happen in a match. It's a muscle injury that will prevent him from finishing the tournament, apart from a miracle. We'll see, but as it stands right now, it’s very complicated for Sofiane,” the Moroccan coach added.

Ziyech scored the first-half winner in Morocco’s 1-0 win in their last Group F game against Zambia in San Pedro on Wednesday but went off at halftime with a sore ankle.

“The decision for Ziyech will be made at the last minute or last second,” Regragui said.

“He (Ziyech) was kicked in the ankle against Zambia. We will do our best to get him on the pitch and if we have to take a risk, we will take it because we want our best players on the pitch,” Regragui added.

Regragui said losing Ziyech will impact Morocco’s chances of advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The North African team was among the pre-tournament favorites and topped their group. Their opponents, South Africa, were runners-up in Group E.

Bafana Bafana are the only team to have beaten Morocco in their 12 matches since the Atlas Lions made history at the FIFA World Cup by becoming the first African nation to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.

The two countries shared the same qualifying group for the Africa Cup of Nations.

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