El Khannouss and El Aynaoui secure victory for Morocco against Paraguay

After a sterile first half, the Moroccan selection unlocked the situation as soon as they returned from the locker room. Bilal El Khannouss opened the scoring in the 48th minute, before Neil El Aynaoui doubled the lead five minutes later (53rd). Paraguay finally reduced the score at the end of the match thanks to a header from Gustavo Caballero (88th).

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This victory allows Morocco to consolidate its 8th place in the FIFA ranking. With a gain of 2.75 points, the Atlas Lions bring their total to 1755.87 units, thus getting closer to Brazil and the Netherlands at the top of the hierarchy. The national team confirms its status as the undisputed leader on the African and Arab stages.

Coach Mohamed Ouahbi took advantage of this test to inject new blood into his squad. Soufiane Rahimi was named in the starting lineup, while young talents like Gessime Yassine and Chemseddine Talbi started the match. In defense, the integration of Redouane Halhal and Issa Diop strengthened the cohesion of a block that remained solid against the South American attacks.

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The end of the match was marked by the decisive intervention of video refereeing. A Paraguayan goal was disallowed by VAR in the 85th minute for an offside by Omar Alderete, preventing an early comeback by the opponent. This victory in Lens concludes this international window on a positive note for the Atlas Lions before the next global challenges.