En-Nesyri’s Strike Keeps Morocco Perfect as Atlas Lions Edge Congo to Tighten World Cup Grip

RABAT — Under the floodlights of Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah, where the tension pulsed through every breathless minute, Morocco’s World Cup quest gathered even more momentum. With his predatory instinct, Youssef En-Nesyri delivered the decisive blow, his 63rd-minute header silencing Congo and sending the home crowd of nearly 50,000 into rapture as the Atlas Lions clinched a slender but vital 1-0 win Tuesday night.

For long stretches, this was a test of patience and resolve—a night that refused to yield easy moments. Morocco, with four successive victories to their name in the group, entered as heavy favorites, but Congo, bruised by a recent defeat in Niger, arrived determined to stifle, frustrate, and, perhaps, to rewrite their own stuttering narrative in this qualifying campaign.

The opening exchanges were cagey, almost academic, both sides probing for weaknesses. Morocco’s passing triangles pinned Congo deep, but the visitors rarely buckled. Goalkeeper Barel Mouko marshaled his area with authority, leaping bravely to palm an early Oussama El Azzouzi effort wide, while veteran Prince Oniangué anchored a Congolese midfield that snapped and snarled at every Moroccan foray.

As the first half wore on, nerves tangled with expectation. En-Nesyri, finding himself double-marked, dropped deeper to link play. Hakim Ziyech, so often the architect of Moroccan footballing drama, carved out the clearest chance of the half, drifting past two defenders before rolling a cross into the six-yard box that eluded both En-Nesyri and Ayoub El Kaabi by inches.

Congo, meanwhile, threatened on the break. A surging run from Dechan Moussavou, scorer in their last home draw with Tanzania, forced a fingertip intervention from Yassine Bounou. The closest they came was a curling free kick from Silvère Ganvoula, which grazed the top of the net and drew a collective gasp from the stands.

When the breakthrough finally arrived, it came from the man whose boots seem magnetized to the moment. In the 63rd minute, Ziyech whipped in a corner that hung for an eternity above the penalty spot. En-Nesyri, all anticipation and athleticism, timed his leap to perfection, powering a header past Mouko. The roar that followed was part relief, part celebration—a signal that another page was turning in Morocco’s World Cup saga.

The Atlas Lions might have doubled their lead minutes later when Ismael Saibari’s low drive struck the post; instead, they settled for discipline and structure, denying Congo any route back. Vahid Halilhodžić’s men were unyielding, slowing the tempo, breaking up play, and smothering every Congolese surge with a wall of white and green shirts.

For Congo, the defeat cuts deep. After a promising start to their qualifying group, their campaign has now drifted dangerously off course. Their only positive result across the last five outings remains a battling draw with Tanzania. Tuesday’s loss mired them further in the bottom half of the group—a stark contrast to Morocco’s surging form, with five consecutive wins and a growing sense of inevitability about their presence at next summer’s World Cup.

History had offered little solace to the visitors. In their last five meetings across all competitions, Morocco has largely held sway, with Congo snatching only one win. Tonight’s match did little to alter that balance, Morocco reinforcing both their psychological and mathematical advantage.

No red cards colored the contest, though tempers frayed late on as Congo pressed higher in vain. Substitute Ben Malango forced a desperate clearance from Romain Saïss, but Bounou, largely untested in the closing moments, was never truly threatened.

With the victory, Morocco stretches their lead atop the qualification group, their defense largely impenetrable, their attack humming with pragmatic efficiency. For Halilhodžić, the narrative is turning—from the heavy burden of national expectation after March’s African Nations Championship run to the cold, hard calculus of World Cup qualification: five wins from five, one foot already on the plane to North America.

Congo, by contrast, face a reckoning. Their slim hopes of qualification require not just a reversal of results but an overhaul of confidence and strategy. Further points dropped could render their campaign academic before the final international window.

For Morocco, the path forward is clear, though the stakes remain high. The Atlas Lions travel next to meet a resurgent Tanzania, needing only to match their current intensity to keep destiny in their hands. For Congo, the journey becomes ever more perilous—a single misstep away from the end of their World Cup dream.

Tonight, though, belonged to Morocco: disciplined, decisive, and still unbeaten, with En-Nesyri once again the man for the moment, and the Atlas Lions roaring ever louder toward the world’s grandest stage.