If anyone was ever in doubt about how fierce this game was going to be, it left no one in doubt, with the frenetic pace with which the game started with.
Morocco were on the front foot first, Noureddin Amrabat almost getting the better of Serge Aurier, but the Ivoirian defender was alert to stop the attack. But it was evident enough the kind of game to expect. And within the first 10 minutes, there had been a raft of chances – albeit half chances – but it went further to show how the game could go.
The fans made it all the more interesting, with their constant cheering of every move, and considering the high intensity with which the game started, it was cheering all the way.
But the first real chance came 17 minutes into the game, when Gervinho was put through to goal, but the China-based forward couldn’t get any direction to his effort, which skyrocketed over the goal. What a miss!
Soon after, the Ivoirians then had another chance, when Wilfred Zaha was brought down just outside the box, but nothing came off the free kick. And on 25 minutes, Morocco would make them pay for those missed chances, when Karim Dirar’s free kick went straight into the net, beating Steve Gbohou.
Despite Cote d’ Ivoire’s best intentions, the Moroccans were now looking the better side, and it showed again in the 29th minute, when Mehdi Benatia was left unmarked inside the box from a corner, and the defender hit it past Gbohou to make it two for the north Africans.
The first half would end with Morocco looking all but set to berth in Russia.
At the restart, Cote d’ Ivoire went on the front foot, as the Moroccans retreated, but Herve Renard, with his knowledge of the Ivoirian team, set his team up to soak the pressure and hit on the break. And it looked like it would pay off, as they came off with several chances to finally take the game beyond the west Africans.
And unsurprisingly, the tense and fiery nature of the game saw players from both sides nearly losing their heads, as they came together ad what threatened to turn into a brawl.
But then, just like the way it started, Morocco would get the desired result as they joined Nigeria, Egypt and Senegal as the African teams to have qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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