HIBAPRESS – Sports
The Royal Army secured its spot in the group stage of the African Confederation Cup after defeating their guest, Ivorian side Korhogo, by two goals to one. The match took place on Sunday evening at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, as part of the second leg of the preliminary qualifying round.
The military team entered the encounter with a clear determination to seal qualification, imposing early attacking pressure that was crowned by a penalty kick in the sixth minute after Youssef El Fahli was fouled inside the penalty area. The player himself successfully converted the penalty, giving his team the lead.
The Royal Army continued its attempts to extend the lead during the first half, but a lack of efficiency in front of goal prevented them from adding more goals. Meanwhile, the Ivorian team tried to threaten the goal of goalkeeper Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti without success in leveling the score, with the first half ending with the hosts leading by one goal to nil.
At the start of the second half, Korhogo managed to equalize in the 54th minute through Goti Debi, bringing the match back to square one and increasing the intensity of the competition between the two teams.
The Royal Army players appealed for a penalty in the 58th minute after a foul on Ahmed Hammoudan inside the penalty area, but the referee signaled for play to continue.
As the match approached its end, Anas Bach scored the second goal for the military team in the 83rd minute, giving his team the lead again and bringing them closer to securing qualification, before the match concluded with the Royal Army winning by two goals to one.
The Moroccan representative had drawn the first leg with a goalless draw, and thus sealed their qualification with an aggregate score of two goals to one over both legs, confirming their presence in the group stage and continuing their journey in the continental competition.
