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Morocco and Liberia concluded their Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaigns with a match at Stade Adrar on Saturday night.
Morocco, who had already secured their spot in the continental football showpiece next year, aimed to finish first in their qualification group. However, they faced a setback when they lost 2-1 to South Africa in a previous match in June. They were trailing at halftime due to a Munir own goal, and Zakhele Lepasa added another goal for South Africa before Hakim Ziyech reduced the deficit in the 60th minute. This loss pushed Morocco down to second place in Group K of the AFCON qualifiers, just one point behind the leaders with a game in hand. Their upcoming challenge was against an opponent they defeated 2-0 in June 2022.
The hosts had an impressive record of being unbeaten at home for over two years and were eager to maintain this streak. They sought to secure their first home victory since their famous 2-1 win against Brazil in March.
On the other hand, Liberia had a tough time in the qualifiers, suffering a 2-1 defeat against South Africa in March. They fell behind to Zakhele Lepasa's goal but managed to equalize through William Jebor before Mihlali Mayambela scored the winning goal. With just one point from three AFCON qualifiers, Liberia remained at the bottom of their group, five points behind Morocco in second place. They were winless in eight consecutive matches across all competitions and were looking to turn their fortunes around, starting with their match against Morocco in Agadir.
Morocco hosted Liberia at Stade Adrar in the group stage of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Saturday.
Morocco's previous qualifying match ended in a 2-1 loss to South Africa, with Hakim Ziyech scoring their only goal in the 60th minute.
Liberia, on the other hand, had a mixed record in the qualifiers, drawing 2-2 with South Africa in March but losing 2-1 at home to Bafana Bafana.
Morocco had already secured their place in the main event, making this match a formality. The two teams had met four times in the past, with Morocco winning three of those encounters. In their last meeting in June, Morocco won 2-0 away. The hosts had a strong record in AFCON qualifiers, with their last loss dating back to 2017. They were unbeaten at home since 2001 in these qualifiers.
Liberia faced a challenging task, having failed to win any of their last six away games in AFCON qualifiers and struggling to score in several of those matches.
Morocco, although already qualified, aimed to finish the qualifiers on a high note, while Liberia looked to improve their performance in this match.
