Morocco delivered a resounding 5-0 victory over the Central African Republic, while Serhou Guirassy starred for Guinea by scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 triumph against Ethiopia on Saturday during the final third-round qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
In Oujda, Morocco showcased their dominance as Azzedine Ounahi netted twice, with Abde Ezzalzouli, Achraf Hakimi, and Soufiane Rahimi each contributing a goal. The 2022 World Cup semi-finalists established a commanding 4-0 lead by halftime, further emphasizing their strength in Group B. This match marked the widest ranking gap among the 24 third-round pairings, with Morocco being the top-ranked African team, holding a 114-point advantage over the Central African Republic.
Morocco matched the largest winning margin in the 2025 qualifying series, equaling South Africa’s recent 5-0 win over Congo Brazzaville just a day earlier. The Moroccan team automatically qualifies for AFCON as hosts, with the tournament set to take place from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, the first AFCON edition spanning two years.
Instead of opting for friendly matches, Morocco (with nine points) chose competitive practice, leaving Gabon (four points), the Central African Republic (three points), and Lesotho (one point) to vie for a single qualifying spot.
In Group H, Guinea’s Guirassy proved to be a formidable force against Ethiopia. Under the guidance of Michel Dussuyer, who began his fourth stint as coach of Guinea at age 65, Guirassy opened the scoring with an 18th-minute penalty, sending goalkeeper Seid Habtamu the wrong way. He then added two more goals before halftime, demonstrating his pace and skill by outrunning defenders and finishing with precision from close range.
Guirassy’s hat-trick marked the first of the 2025 qualifying campaign, placing him among the top scorers alongside Amine Gouiri from Algeria, Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan from Egypt, and Jean-Philippe Krasso from Ivory Coast. Seydouba Cisse, who assisted Guirassy’s second goal, also found the net early in the second half with a strike from a Mady Camara pass. After struggling to score just once in their previous two matches against the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania, Guinea managed to net four goals within 48 minutes.
