MOROCCO and Ghana meet today as both sides kick off their AFCON campaigns.
Premier League interest is high with Arsenal star Thomas Partey in action, alongside Prem based team-mates Daniel Amartey and Jordan Ayew.
Ghana are aiming for their fifth African Cup of Nations success, while Morocco last won the compeition in 1976.
- Kick-off: 4pm
- TV channel/ live stream: Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football
- Morocco XI: Bono; Mmaee, Masina, Aguerd; Hakimi, Saiss, Ounahi, Amallah; Aboukhlal, Boufal, Louza.
- Ghana XI: Wollacott; Rahman, Amartey, Djiku, Yiadom; Paintsil, Baba, Partey, Sulemana; A. Ayew, J. Ayew.
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Follow ALL of the latest updates below…
Morocco 0-0 Ghana
8 mins: Morocco make their way into the Ghana half for the first time and Hakimi wins a corner off Rahman.
Better deliver than the Ghana corners! Saiss gets up well but his header isn’t timed well and it drifts well wide.
Incidentally, Morocco have also switched to a four at the back now. They’re playing a 4-1-4-1 type system.
Morocco 0-0 Ghana
6 mins: Jordan Ayew plays the free-kick short to Paintsil and his cross is deflected out for another Ghana corner. Early pressure from the Black Stars.
Morocco get this one clear but Sulemana draws a challenge from Ounahi and it’s ANOTHER corner for Ghana – their third of the game after just five minutes.
Cleared away again though. Morocco have not got a grip of this match yet.
Morocco 0-0 Ghana
4 mins: This has been a very nervy start from Morocco. Masina fails to control a simple pass and let’s it roll out for a throw-in to Ghana.
Partey then draws a free-kick as Louza bundles him over midway inside the Moroccan half.
Morocco 0-0 Ghana
2 mins: Slow start in this one as the two teams contest a couple of throw-ins. PSG full-back Hakimi’s left a lot to be desired and Ghana took possession from Morocco.
Andre Ayew wins Ghana a corner which Paintsil delivers…punched clear by Sevilla keeper Bono.
Morocco 0-0 Ghana
1 min: HERE WE GO THEN!
Looks like Ghana are lining up in more of a 4-1-3-2 rather than a 4-4-2. Morocco very much playing their 3-4-3.
Morocco get us underway.
Morocco vs Ghana
Right then, the next time you hear from me will be when the whistle blows for kick-off in Cameroon.
A mouthwatering clash between two sides who are looking to go deep into this competition.
Who will come out on top?
Morocco vs Ghana
A quick reminder of the two teams and how they will line up for the game this afternoon then.
Morocco XI (3-4-3): Bono; Mmaee, Masina, Aguerd; Hakimi, Saiss, Ounahi, Amallah; Aboukhlal, Boufal, Louza.
Ghana XI (4-4-2): Wollacott; Rahman, Amartey, Djiku, Yiadom; Paintsil, Baba, Thomas, Sulemana; A. Ayew, J. Ayew.
Morocco vs Ghana
The players are warming up and we are less than 15 minutes away from kick-off in Cameroon!
Five Africa Cup of Nations crowns between these two teams. It promises to be an entertaining clash!
Who are the favourites for the tournament?
Here are the eight favourites for the tournament and the odds for each of them:
- Senegal 10/3
- Algeria 9/2
- Egypt 7/1
- Cameroon 7/1
- Ivory Coast 8/1
- Morocco 9/1
- Nigeria 11/1
- Ghana 18/1
Morocco vs Ghana
Swindon Town keeper Joe Wollacott starts in a major international tournament for Ghana this afternoon.
This is why this competition is so brilliant. The League Two shot-stopper has the opportunity to compete for his country in a huge international competition.
Superb. He will make his fifth cap for Ghana today.
Momentous game for Ghana
The match today is also a landmark one for Ghana as it is their 100th at the Africa Cup of Nations.
They have won the competition on four occasions – in 1963, 1965, 1978 and 1982.
But it’s now been 40 years since they have tasted an AFCON triumph. Time to end that hoodoo?
The Ayew brothers
It’s worth saying that Andre and Jordan Ayew are the two most capped players in the Ghana squad for this year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Jordan has made 73 appearances for his country, while older brother Ayew will earn his 101st cap today.
So by the end of today we will have 175 caps from the same family. Not bad!
Credit: AFP – Getty Mane wins MOTM award
Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has scooped the Man of the Match award after scoring a stoppage time penalty to hand Senegal a 1-0 win over Zimbabwe.
I’m sure there is plenty more to come from the sensational forward.
Clash of formations
So we are expecting Morocco to line up in a 3-4-3 formation with Wolves defender Romain Saiss lining up in central midfield for his country. He is also the captain.
Meanwhile, Ghana are set to begin in a more conventional 4-4-2 with brothers Jordan and Andre Ayew leading the line. Arsenal man Thomas Partey will also be hoping to dictate the midfield.
So it’s a 3-4-3 vs a 4-4-2.
Intriguing!
Ghana subs vs Morocco
Subs: Nurudeen, J. Mensah, Addo, Issahaku, Kyereh, Boakye, G. Mensah, Owusu, Attah, Tetteh, Mumin, Abagna.
Ghana line-up vs Morocco
Ghana XI: Wollacott; Rahman, Amartey, Djiku, Yiadom; Paintsil, Baba, Thomas, Sulemana; A. Ayew, J. Ayew.
Morocco subs vs Ghana
Subs: Amrabat, El Haddadi, Fajr, Mohamedi, Chair, Chakla, Alakouch, El Karouani, Tagnaouti, Chibi, Rahimi, Tissoudali.
Morocco line-up vs Ghana
Morocco XI: Bono; Mmaee, Masina, Aguerd; Hakimi, Saiss, Ounahi, Amallah; Aboukhlal, Boufal, Louza.
Past Africa Cup of Nations winners
So Algeria are the current holders of the Africa Cup of Nations champions having won the tournament back in 2019.
Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Zambia won the previous four competitions before then.
And before that Egypt secured three successive AFCON titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
English-based players for Ghana
And here are the members of the Ghana squad who play their club game in England:
- Joe Wollacott (Swindon Town)
- Andy Yiadom (Reading)
- Baba Rahman (Reading)
- Daniel Amartey (Leicester)
- Thomas Partey (Arsenal)
- Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace)
FT: Senegal 1-0 Zimbabwe
Wow, major drama in the game which has just finished elsewhere.
Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has won the game for the 2019 runners-up with a stoppage time penalty.
The spot kick was awarded for a controversial handball. The referee pointed to the spot and VAR did not overturn.
Senegal get themselves off to a winning start. Just.
English-based players for Morocco
For those English AFCON fans wondering which English-based players are in the Morocco squad, here they are:
- Romain Saiss (captain) – Wolves
- Adam Masina – Watford
- Ilias Chair – QPR
- Imran Louza – Watford
Group C
Morocco and Ghana have been drawn in Group C – there are six groups at the tournament.
The other two teams – who play at 7pm GMT tonight – are Comoros and Gabon.
Here is a full list of the teams at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Morocco vs Ghana: Head-to-head
So with kick-off a little over an hour away (4pm GMT) let’s bring you a little background as to the two teams’ history between one another.
Morocco and Ghana have faced each other 11 times. Morocco have won five, Ghana three and there have also been three draws.
But the two countries have only met twice in competitive fixtures since the turn of the century. Both have come at Afcon – the first drawn 0-0 and the second won 2-0 by Ghana.
So history may be with Morocco but recent history lies with Ghana.
All to play for.
Welcome from Cameroon
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Morocco vs Ghana in the opening round of Africa Cup of Nations fixtures.
Two sides who will be hoping they can go deep in this tournament but will be under no illusions that this is an easy first game for either of them.
Two sides who have not won the tournament for some time – Morocco since 1976 and Ghana since 1982.
Can they end those years of hurt in 2022? Their journeys start here.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
