Wednesday witnessed a bustling day in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, with numerous Ligue 1 players in action and playing pivotal roles on the pitch. Here's a recap of the day's action.
Morocco, considered one of the top contenders this year in Côte d'Ivoire kicked off the group stage with a strong start, securing a 3-0 victory over Tanzania.
Former Le Havre defender Romain Saïss opened the scoring in the first half for Morocco. The scoring floodgates opened for the Atlas Lions after Tanzania received a red card in the 70th minute, reducing them to ten men.
Olympique de Marsille's Azzedine Ounahi made it 2-0 for Morocco, and then minutes later, Paris Saint-Germain's Achraf Hakimi assisted on the goal from Youssef En-Nesyri. Additionally, OM's Amine Harit came off the bench in the second half, seeing nine minutes of action.
🇲🇦 3️⃣-0️⃣ 🇹🇿
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 17, 2024
👤 First victory for our Parisian @AchrafHakimi with @EnMoroc 🆚 Tanzania (3-0) in the African Cup of Nations 👏
🏆 #CAN2023 pic.twitter.com/MXz9mBIOuW
The other match on the schedule was between DR Congo and Zambia to close out the day. Zambia opened the scoring, but the DR Congo quickly responded as the contest ended in a 1-1 draw.
Chancel Mbemba from Olympique de Marseille and Gedeon Kalulu from FC Lorient handled the squad's defensive duties for the entire 90 minutes for Les Léopards. Samuel Moutoussamy of FC Nantes also showcased his skills in midfield, playing the full 90 minutes.
