{
  "id": 9947247,
  "title": "Soufiane Rahimi on target as Morocco win Afcon opener while Mohamed Salah and Egypt left frustrated",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/soufiane-rahimi-on-target-as-morocco-win-afcon-opener-while-mohamed-9947247",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-26T08:39:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2026/09/26/soufiane-rahimi-on-target-as-morocco-win-afcon-opener-while-mohamed-salah-and-egypt-left-frustrated/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Morocco triumphed 2-0 against Gabon in their opening match of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign in Rabat. The Atlas Lions' manager, Mohamed Ouahbi, made an early impact by introducing 21-year-old Al Ain forward Soufiane Rahimi from the bench, who proved decisive with a first-half goal. The goal marked Rahimi's 15th in 44 appearances for Morocco. Noussair Mazraoui, a Manchester United defender, opened the scoring for the hosts in the 36th minute. In their next match, Morocco will face Lesotho on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Egypt suffered a goalless draw against Angola at home and will travel to South Sudan for their next Afcon qualifier.",
  "summary": "Reigning champions Morocco started their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Gabon which saw Al Ain attacker Soufiane Rahimi come off the bench to score the crucial second goal in Rabat. The Atlas Lions, who were knocked out in this summer's World Cup finals by France at the quarter-final stage, took the lead in the 36th minute courtesy of Manchester…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Soufiane Rahimi on target as Morocco win Afcon opener while Mohamed Salah and Egypt left frustrated",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/soufiane-rahimi-on-target-as-morocco-win-afcon-opener-while-mohamed",
        "published": "2026-09-26T08:39:20.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}