Morocco produced a strong display as they beat Madagascar 4-0 in an international friendly on Tuesday, continuing their preparations for the upcoming World Cup.
Ismael Saibari was the star of the night with two first half goals. The PSV Eindhoven midfielder opened the scoring in just the fourth minute. He headed home from a Bilal El Khannouss corner at the far post to give Morocco an early lead.
Saibari struck again in the 24th minute. He took advantage of a mistake in the Madagascar defence and calmly finished to make it 2-0.
Morocco controlled the game from the start. They created several chances and nearly added another goal before halftime. Noussair Mazraoui came close, but his powerful effort crashed against the crossbar.
The hosts remained in charge after the break and kept pushing forward. Their third goal arrived in the 78th minute after Azzedine Ounahi was brought down inside the box. Soufiane Rahimi stepped up and converted the penalty to extend the lead.
Morocco completed the scoring three minutes from time. Brahim Diaz made a lively run into the penalty area from the right and saw his shot hit the post. Ayoub El Kaabi reacted quickly and tapped in the rebound from close range to make it 4-0.
The victory gives Morocco another boost ahead of the World Cup. They will now travel to the United States for their final warm up match against Norway on Sunday.
Morocco will begin their World Cup campaign in Group C, where they will face Brazil, Scotland and Haiti.
