Morocco's 5-1 Win Over Niger Keeps Ouahbi's Side Top But Unsettled

Morocco beat Niger 5-1 at Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca on Friday night, a third win from three in Group A of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Achraf Hakimi scored twice and provided an assist, with Yassir Zabiri, Youssef En-Nesyri and Ayoub Oufkir also on the scoresheet. Mohamed Abdouramane pulled one back for Niger. The result leaves Morocco top on nine points, ahead of Gabon on six and Niger on three.

On the surface, it is exactly what a qualifying campaign should look like. But the numbers underneath the scoreline tell a more complicated story about a squad still finding its shape under Mohamed Ouahbi.

Morocco dominated possession with 71 per cent and registered 18 shots, 12 of them on target. Niger, for their part, managed 13 shots and six on target, plus two big chances. That is not the statistical profile of a side that was simply swept aside. A team with 29 per cent of the ball creating six shots on target and two clear openings is a team that found real gaps in the Moroccan structure.

Morocco scored five, and could have scored more. They also allowed Niger to score one and to create enough to suggest the final margin flattered the hosts defensively.

Morocco remain on course for the 2027 finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Nine points from three matches is a strong foundation, and the attacking output against Niger was emphatic. Hakimi's two goals and assist underline his importance as captain and as the side's most reliable attacking outlet from full-back. Zabiri, En-Nesyri and Oufkir all got on the scoresheet, which speaks to a spread of scoring threats.

But the defensive lapses that allowed Niger to create six shots on target and two big chances are the kind of detail that will matter more against stronger opposition. Whether this was a one-off consequence of a rotated or experimental lineup, or a sign of a structural issue under Ouahbi, is not yet known. The next qualifiers will provide a clearer picture.

For now, Morocco are winning. The question is whether they are winning in a way that will hold up when the opposition improves and the margins tighten. That is what the coming matches will show.