Morocco's Atlas Lions roar to victory to send shivers through Africa - Pulse of the Day

The deafening roar of the Atlas Lions echoed across the Laurent Pokou Stadium as Morocco convincingly dismantled their opponents Tanzania in their AFCON 2023 opener. 

Azzedine Ounahi and Youssef En-Nesyri were the stars as Moroccans defeated the Taifa Stars 3-0 in Group F on Wednesday. 

By showing their intent, the Atlas Lions proved their position as Africa’s highest-ranked team globally.

Morocco’s Atlas Lion put on a dominant display, with their talented team, led by the man of the match, Ounahi. Shining on the biggest stage in Africa.

Centreback Romain Saiss opened the floodgate when he put Morocco ahead in the first half before things went from bad to worse for the Taifa Stars. 

Down by a goal, Tanzania was reduced to 10 men following a second bookable offence by Novatus Miroshi in the 70th minute. 

Seven minutes later, Morocco took advantage of their numerical superiority as Ounahi doubled the advantage to make it 2-0.

Sevilla superstar, En-Nesyri, wrapped up the win and three points when he added a third goal 10 minutes from time against the 10-man Tanzania.

After years of disappointment which has seen them emerge as underachievers at AFCON, Morocco comes into the AFCON 2023 as favourite following an impressive statement at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Atlas Lions have got off to a perfect start, as fullback, Achraf Hakimi, who assisted En-Nesyri’s goal, said on his social media account.

While Morocco’s performance earned them the Pulse of the Day award, the pertinent question remains, could this finally be the time for the Lions to ascend to the throne of African football?

As you ponder on that, what is clear is that the World Cup semifinalists have sent a clear message - one of intent - that they mean business.