The Atlas Lions of Morocco will this Friday 5 July, 2019 collide with the Squirrels of Benin in what is expected to be a feisty encounter at the Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo.

Morocco came out of Group D with a hundred percent record, nine points, 3 goals scored and none conceded while Benin’s three draws were enough to earn them a spot in the round of 16 as one of the four third best placed teams.

Morocco’s first game against Namibia wasn’t a vintage performance but they got the job done. An own goal from Namibia’s substitute Keimuine on a set piece in the closing minutes, gave Herve Renard something to smile about. They beat Ivory Coast 1-0 in the second game thanks to En-Nesyri’s first half strike and went on to complete the job against South Africa in their last group match. Moubarak Mboussoufa scoring late from yet another set piece.

Benin had a blast against the 10 men Black Stars of Ghana holding them to a 2-2 draw. A brace from Mickael Pote secured what would prove to be valuable point in the subsequent matches to follow, two goalless draws against Guinea-Bissau and Cameroon. 3 points were enough for the Squirrels to setup a tie against a highly fancied Morocco team.

Head to Head

The two teams have met 5 times with Morocco winning on all those occasions. This will be the second meeting at the Africa Cup of Nations, their last meeting was in 2004 when the Atlas Lions won 4-0.

Key Players

Herve Renard, a two time winner of this trophy with Zambia in 2012 and Ivory Coast in 2015 has ambitions of getting a third with Morocco. But first he must negotiate his way past Benin. Hakim Ziyech still remains a key player for Renard even the Ajax man has not yet scored in the tournament. Noureddinne Amrabat has put in a good shift in the group phase of the competition together with CD Leganes striker Youssef En-Nesyri.

Benin coach Michel Dussuyer knows that it won’t be an easy game against Morocco but has one or two tricks under his sleeves. Mickael Pote has been the standout player in this Benin side scoring the only two goals and together with Steve Mounie, he will be expected to play a key role in the match.

Match Information

Morocco vs Benin

Kickoff: 18:00 CAT/19:00 EAT

Venue: Al-Salam, Cairo

Kelvin Trudeau Musako

Football Journalist | TotalEnergies AFCON 2021 Photographer | Media Officer - Kabwe Warriors FC | Graphic Designer | Videographer