Host nation Morocco were held to a dramatic 2-2 draw by Zambia in the opening match of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Saturday night at the Stade Olympique in Rabat, breaking a 20-year trend of hosts winning their tournament openers.

The Copper Queens of Zambia stunned the packed stadium with a lightning-fast start, netting within the first minute. Barbra Banda capitalised on a quick counter-attack initiated by Margaret Belemu, firing a precise low shot into the bottom left corner to silence the home crowd.

Unfazed by the early setback, Morocco responded with urgency. Their sustained pressure paid off in the 12th minute when Najat Badri was fouled in the box by Grace Chanda. After a brief VAR check, the referee awarded a penalty, which Ibtissam Jraïdi converted confidently into the top corner to draw the Lionesses level.

Zambia, however, continued to threaten on the break. In the 27th minute, Banda turned creator, threading a perfectly weighted pass to Racheal Kundananji, who slotted past Moroccan goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi to restore Zambia’s lead.

The first half ended 2-1 in favour of Zambia, with Morocco ruing missed chances, particularly from Fatima Tagnaout and captain Ghizlane Chebbak.

The second half saw Morocco take control, dominating possession and launching wave after wave of attack. Zambian goalkeeper Ng’ambo Musole was called into action several times, notably parrying a thunderous effort from Sanaâ Mssoudy.

The breakthrough finally came in the 87th minute when Chebbak, from outside the box, unleashed a spectacular strike into the top corner, sending the Rabat crowd into a frenzy and salvaging a crucial point for the hosts.

Despite a frantic finale, neither side could find a winner. The result ends a streak dating back to 2006 in which WAFCON host nations had always won their opening match.

With the draw, both Morocco and Zambia remain firmly in contention in Group A as they turn their focus to the next round of fixtures in what promises to be a tightly contested group stage.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Real Madrid edged past Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in a dramatic Club World Cup quarter-final on Saturday to set up a last-four clash with Paris St Germain.

The Spanish giants stamped their authority on the match early at the MetLife Stadium, dominating possession and opening a two-goal lead thanks to strikes by Gonzalo and Fran Garcia in the 10th and 20th minutes.

Gonzalo, the 21-year-old forward continuing his breakout tournament, opened the scoring with a close-range volley from Arda Guler’s cross.

Ten minutes later, Garcia doubled Real’s lead, arriving at the far post to turn in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s low delivery after an incisive move down the right.

Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. squandered chances to extend Real’s lead before halftime, while Aurelien Tchouameni came closest in the second half, rattling the crossbar with a curling effort from the edge of the box.

Despite the reduced intensity of play in New Jersey’s scorching heat, Real comfortably saw out the match, leaving Dortmund unable to mount a comeback until the game exploded into life in 10 minutes of mayhem in added time.

Substitute Maximilian Beier pounced on a rebound in the 93rd minute to pull one back for Dortmund, but a minute later Kylian Mbappe restored Real’s two-goal cushion with a stunning volley.

Dortmund refused to back down, however, and Serhou Guirassy’s pace saw him break through Real’s defence only to be pulled down in the box by Dean Huijsen.

The defender was shown a straight red card, ruling him out of the semi-final, and Guirassy coolly converted the resulting spot-kick to reduce the deficit to 3-2.

Dortmund came within inches of forcing extra time when in the ninth minute of added time Thibaut Courtois produced a sensational save to deny Marcel Sabitzer’s powerful strike.

“We were doing really well and the match looked under control but then in the last 10 minutes things got crazy,” Real manager Xabi Alonso told DAZN.

“We have lost a little bit our focus and intensity when we didn’t have the ball and luckily nothing else happened. But overall we have had good 80 minutes and the last 10 minutes to improve.”

Real Madrid now turn their attention to PSG, who defeated Bayern Munich 2-0 to book their place in the semi-finals. The winners of that clash will face Fluminense or Chelsea, who meet on Tuesday, in the final.

Reuters

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Paris St Germain snatched a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich on Saturday to reach the Club World Cup semi-finals, with Ousmane Dembele embodying the composure of Luis Enrique’s side as he sealed the victory when his team were down to nine men.

Dembele found the back of the net six minutes into added time after being superbly set up by Achraf Hakimi and the French forward also shone defensively by pressing relentlessly and initiating the move that led to his decisive goal.

“I’d give the Ballon d’Or to Mr Ousmane Dembele,” coach Luis Enrique said after PSG’s Champions League final win over Inter Milan. “The way he defended…only that can be worth the Ballon d’Or. This is how you lead a team.”

Dembele proved his coach right once again against Bayern.

Rested for the group stage after sustaining a thigh injury and only coming off the bench after halftime in the last 16 and in the quarter-final, Dembele brought an incredible energy to a team who had been dominated by Bayern.

“It’s an important period for us. We had a score to settle with Bayern after the 2020 (Champions League) final (won by Bayern 1-0) and after they beat us earlier this season,” captain Marquinhos said. “We want to win this competition.”

PSG went ahead through Desire Doue, his first goal in the tournament.

“I try to help the team by scoring, but also with my efforts, notably defensively,” Doue said.

PSG, seeking a quadruple of titles after winning the Champions League, French Cup and the Ligue 1 title, will face Borussia Dortmund or Real Madrid for a place in the final.

They will be without centre back Willian Pacho and defender Lucas Hernandez, who picked up straight red cards after Doue’s opening goal.

“The first one is a clear red card,” coach Luis Enrique said. “I’m not sure about the second one. We deserved the win but it was really really hard. Nothing special. Business as usual.”

-Reuters