Morocco 2-1 Slovakia: Player Ratings
Substitute Ayoub El Kaabi continued his fine run of goal scoring as he inspired a brilliant second half comeback for Morocco in their friendly win against Slovakia last night in Geneva.
The RS Berkane man, who scored a record 9 goals at CHAN (Total African Nations Championship) in January, headed in a Hakim Ziyech corner just 4 minutes after coming on, with Galatasaray midfielder Younes Belhanda completing the turnaround with 15 minutes to play.
This was after Jan Gregus struck a stunning 25 yard strike on the hour mark in a game dominated by the Atlas Lions.
These are my player ratings for Morocco's penultimate World Cup warm-up match before their first group game against Iran. (Those who played less than 15 minutes will not be marked)
Yassine Bounou- 7
Given a rare start ahead of Munir, the Girona keeper didn't have a save to make and conceded Slovakia's only shot on target. It's hard to blame him for the goal as Gregus caught the strike very well as it arrowed into the bottom-left corner. Bounou was very calm on the ball, chipping some accurate long balls out wide in an assured performance which gives Herve Renard more reason to make him his number 1 goalkeeper.
Achraf Hakimi- 8
The teenager looks to be cementing himself in Renard's first XI, whether that be in his preferred position of right-back or alternatively as a makeshift left-back. He linked up well with Nordin Amrabat on the right in the first half, overlapping effectively and always made himself an option as an outlet for the team throughout the game. With Nabil Dirar currently nursing a slight calf problem, it's far from a problem if Hakimi was to start on June 15th even if the Fenerbache full back was fully fit.
Mehdi Benatia- 7
After playing 45 minutes on Tuesday against Ukraine, Morocco's captain completed the full 90 minutes and was dominant for the most part against the Slovakian attack. He did, however, make a poor error at the start of the second half when he attempted to chest down a clearance, which was pounced on and could easily have ended up in a goal had Manuel da Costa not bailed him out. Benatia also had a glorious chance to open the scoring from Bousouffa's corner after the ball fell to him twice in the box, but both efforts were tame and easily blocked.
Romain Saiss- 7
The left-footed Wolves midfielder continues to provide a balance to the centre of defence for his country. His ability to play diagonal balls over to the right-hand side as well as his incisive passes into the midfield should not be under-estimated. Saiss was taken off at half time to allow da Costa to get some minutes but there is little doubt that he will be starting at the World Cup.
Hamza Mendyl- 7
Operating at left back rather than left wing-back, Mendyl was not as attacking as he was against Ukraine but still provided a solid performance to show that he is able to play in a back four. He made a fantastic tackle in the first half on Slovakia forward Michal Duris as they looked to counter attack, which shows that he is able to read danger and defend as well as attack. Subbed at half time for Amine Harit as Hakimi reverted to left back.
Karim El Ahmadi- 8.5
Another great performance from the 33-year-old midfielder, who kept the ball moving throughout the game, ending the game with an immaculate 100% pass accuracy (@OptaJohan). Had a decent, dipping shot from 25 yards which went just over in the opening 20 minutes. Also managed to keep the Napoli star Marek Hamsik quiet for most of the game. Provided a defensive base to allow the rest of the midfield to push on and press when Slovakia had the ball.
Mbark Bousouffa- 9 + MOTM
Flawless is the only way to describe this man's performance on his 56th appearance for his country. The diminutive midfielder showed incredible energy to press and win the ball back on multiple occasions to start off several attacking plays. Bousouffa produced an outstanding header from a Ziyech cross, which was spectacularly saved by the Slovakian keeper; Morocco's equaliser came from the resulting corner. Can barely remember him misplacing a pass. Cannot wait to see him on the big international stage in Russia.
Younes Belhanda- 7
Having come in for some criticism from a section of Moroccan supporters, Belhanda somewhat silenced the critics and showed his importance to the team by netting the all-important winning goal. After a cross was headed away, he controlled the clearance on his chest and volleyed into the corner from the edge of the box. Earlier in the match, Belhanda made a few poor decisions, shooting from range rather than playing in a teammate which can frustrate. He also played a neat through ball into Amine Harit moments after the equaliser, but the Schalke youngster fired over.
Nordin Amrabat- 6
There is no doubting Amrabat's work rate and versatility, shown by the fact that he has played right back, right wing-back and right midfield in the past 2 warm-up matches, but his end product must improve. Had many chances to cross into Boutaib throughout the first half but the quality was not good enough. The Watford man also had shooting opportunities but his execution was off. Renard pushed Amrabat back to right back in the second half and was relatively solid in both halves of the pitch.
Hakim Ziyech- 8.5
There is no surprise that the Ajax playmaker is subject to plenty of transfer speculation at the moment, and it looks like that will only heighten if he continues his fine form at the World Cup. Ziyech was at the heart of most of Morocco's dangerous attacks, striking the post from 30 yards with just 8 minutes gone and had another long range shot arrow inches wide later in the first half. His impact on the game didn't slow down in the second, as another powerful strike went wide from range within a few minutes of the restart. Morocco's number 7 delivered a pinpoint cross for Bousouffa's headed chance and then whipped in the corner for El Kaabi's equaliser. Ziyech's attacking quality gives the Atlas Lions a real chance of making waves in Russia.
Khalid Boutaib- 4
Boutaib has really struggled in the past two friendlies and it's hard to remember him having a notable shot at goal in roughly 100 minutes of football that he has played in these games. Last night, he failed to have any impact in the game, and his case to start in Russia wasn't helped by his replacement Ayoub El Kaabi notching just 4 minutes after coming on. Boutaib sometimes does lack quality service but the lack of quick movement doesn't help the players around him. If he doesn't impress against Estonia on Saturday, it will put his starting place against Iran in serious jeopardy.
SUBS:
Manuel da Costa- 6
Replacing Romain Saiss, da Costa performance was decent. He did well to atone for Benatia's mistake by racing back to block a pass across goal. He then took inspiration from Hakim Ziyech and tried his own 35 yard shot, which he caught unbelievably well, with the keeper just managing to tip the shot over the crossbar. Was sometimes too eager to close down the Slovakia attackers, leaving his centre back position on several occasions to try and win the ball, which could have been exposed by a better team.
Amine Harit- 7
The second part of Renard's half time double substitution, Harit brought much needed pace to the game, constantly taking on and beating defenders in his role on the left side of attack. Almost put Morocco ahead after a neat one-two with Belhanda, but he lacked composure and his shot flew over. The Bundesliga Rookie of the Year brings something completely different to the attack and has done his chances of starting in Russia no harm after his 45-minute cameo.
Ayoub El Kaabi- 8
Renard's decision to throw El Kaabi on just after the Slovakia goal was justified in an instant. He stooped low to head in a Ziyech corner with one of his first touches of the game and couldn't contain his happiness with his celebration. The substitute was somewhat involved in the winning goal, forcing a poor headed clearance, which fell to Belhnada to volley home. El Kaabi has no doubt given his head coach a selection headache in the striker position and deserves a start against Estonia on Saturday.