Morocco qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a 2-0 victory away to Ivory Coast, who missed out on a fourth consecutive appearance at the finals.<\/p>\n
Goals from defenders Nabil Dirar and Medhi Benatia in Abidjan ensured that Morocco would finish as Group C winners.<\/p>\n
Morocco needed only a draw in their last group game to finish top of the standings ahead of the Ivorians, who had to win to clinch a place in Russia.<\/p>\n
After weathering an early storm, including a potential penalty call, Morocco scored two goals in the space of five minutes.<\/p>\n
Dirar opened the scoring off a cross-turned-shot on 25 minutes and Benatia doubled the lead after a corner on the half-hour.<\/p>\n
It is another achievement for\u00a0Morocco\u2019s French coach Herve Renard,\u00a0who famously won the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast in 2015.<\/p>\n
Morocco, who completed their qualifying campaign with maximum points and no goals conceded, last appeared in a World Cup in 1998 in France.<\/p>\n
They topped the group on 12 points, four above the Ivorians. Gabon, who earlier drew 0-0 with Mali in Franceville, finished with seven and bottom-placed Mali five.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Morocco qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a 2-0 victory away to Ivory Coast, who missed out on a fourth consecutive appearance at the finals. Goals from defenders Nabil Dirar and Medhi Benatia in Abidjan ensured that Morocco would finish as Group C winners. Morocco needed only a draw in their last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[3,11548],"yoast_head":"\n