Morocco swept Niger 5-1 on Friday night in the third round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with captain Achraf Hakimi scoring twice and providing an assist to lead the Atlas Lions to a convincing victory.
Yassir Zabiri and Youssef En-Nesyri also scored, while Oufkir added a late fifth goal as Morocco strengthened its position at the top of Group A.
Mohamed Ouahbi’s side took control from the opening minutes, dominating possession and creating repeated attacking opportunities against a Niger team that struggled to contain the hosts.
Morocco opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Brahim Diaz set up Zabiri, who finished to put the Atlas Lions ahead.
Hakimi doubled the lead in the 35th minute with a powerful long-range strike that beat Niger goalkeeper Tanja. The goal was the Paris Saint-Germain defender’s 13th for the Moroccan national team.
Despite Morocco’s dominance, Niger managed to reduce the deficit in the 40th minute. Abdourahmane headed home after getting ahead of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to make it 2-1.
Niger then had an opportunity to equalize after Noussair Mazraoui handled Badamassi’s shot inside the penalty area three minutes later, prompting the referee to award a spot kick.
Bounou kept Morocco in front, saving the penalty before making another intervention to prevent Niger from scoring again before halftime.
Hakimi restored Morocco’s two-goal cushion in stoppage time, scoring directly from a free kick from around 35 meters in the 45th+3 minute. His powerful effort bounced before reaching the goal, leaving Tanja unable to stop it.
Morocco continued to press after the break, with Bounou again called into action in the 51st minute to preserve the advantage.
En-Nesyri, who came on for Zabiri in the 70th minute, added Morocco’s fourth goal seven minutes later. The striker finished first-time from Hakimi’s cross after having an earlier headed effort ruled out for offside in the 74th minute.
Oufkir completed the scoring in the 90th minute, sealing a 5-1 victory for the Atlas Lions.
The result extends Morocco’s strong start to the qualifying campaign, with the team remaining top of Group A. Hakimi was central to the performance, contributing three goal involvements, while Zabiri, En-Nesyri and Oufkir also featured on the scoresheet.
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