BY OUR MAN IN RABAT
THE Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium was less of a football ground and more of a furnace last night as Morocco turned the heat up to boiling point on Cameroon.
In a Rabat atmosphere that would make a rock concert feel like a library, the Atlas Lions didn’t just beat Cameroon—they bullied them.
The hosts roared into the AFCON semi-finals with a 2-0 victory that left the Indomitable Lions looking toothless in front of a deafening wall of Moroccan red.
From the first whistle, the 68,000-capacity cauldron in Rabat was shaking.
Every touch from a Cameroon player was met with a chorus of whistles so piercing they could peel paint, while every Moroccan pass was cheered like a winning goal.
The breakthrough came in the 26th minute, and it was the man of the hour, Brahim Diaz, who sent the Rabat crowd into literal delirium.
After a goalmouth scramble following a corner, the Real Madrid star reacted quickest to poke the ball home from close range.
It was his fifth goal of the tournament, and as he wheeled away toward the corner flag, the stadium felt like it might actually tip over.
Cameroon, to their credit, tried to claw their way back.
But the Rabat pitch seemed to shrink whenever they had the ball, suffocated by a Moroccan defense that looked as solid as the Atlas Mountains.
The evening went from bad to worse for the visitors when Junior Tchamadeu was carried off in tears with a nasty-looking knee injury.
If the first half was a party, the second half was a coronation.
As the clock ticked down and the Rabat flares began to flicker in the stands, Ismael Saibari stepped up to kill the contest.
In the 74th minute, Saibari latched onto a knockdown from Nayef Aguerd and drilled a low, left-footed laser into the bottom corner. 2-0. Game over.
By the time the final whistle blew, the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium was a sea of flags and fireworks.
Morocco are into their first semi-final since 2004, and on this evidence—and with this home support—they’ll take some stopping.
Cameroon are heading for the airport; Morocco are heading for the history books.
MATCH FACTS
Venue: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat
Attendance: 68,000 (est.)
Goals: Diaz (26′), Saibari (74′)
Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)