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The Moroccans certainly imagined it differently. Just over a year after their sensational semi-finals at the World Cup in Qatar, the Atlas Lions failed in the round of 16 at the African Cup of Nations. The top favorite surprisingly lost 0-2 to South Africa.
The evening was particularly bitter for midfielder Sofyan Amrabat (27). With the score at 0-1, the Man Utd star was the last man to pull the emergency brake shortly before the penalty area in stoppage time. South African Mokoena falls, the referee shows Amrabat a second yellow card and sends him off.
Immediately red after VAR intervention
But then things get strange: the VAR speaks out and asks the referee to study the video. Wasn’t it a violation? Can Amrabat stay? No. According to the video footage, the referee takes back the second yellow card, but then immediately shows Amrabat. The Moroccan cannot believe it.
The situation is reminiscent of the red card of FCB hothead Taulant Xhaka against FCZ in May 2023.
Complete change at the Africa Cup of Nations
Then it gets even worse for Amrabat and his teammates: the fouled Mokoena beautifully curls the subsequent free kick into the corner and makes it 2-0. The end of Morocco is sealed.
Meanwhile, South Africa can look forward to reaching the quarter-finals. And this makes the complete change perfect: compared to the last African Cup of Nations two years ago, all quarter-finalists have been eliminated and eight new teams are in the quarter-finals.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
