Diaz Fires AFCON 2025 Hosts Morocco to Face Cameroon in Q’finals 

Returning captain Achraf Hakimi set up Brahim Diaz’s winner as host nation Morocco reached the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-finals by seeing off a stubborn Tanzania side in Rabat on Sunday evening.

Morocco’s Atlas Lions are to play Cameroon in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Starting his first match for more than two months following an ankle injury, Paris St-Germain right-back Hakimi fed Diaz to fire past Hussein Masalanga at the goalkeeper’s near post midway through the second half, sending the Atlas Lions through to a last-eight meeting with Cameroon on Friday. 

The Real Madrid playmaker became the first Morocco player to score in four successive matches at the Afcon finals, having been the top scorer in qualifying with seven goals.

Hakimi hammered a free-kick against the crossbar as part of a succession of attacks by his side after the break, with Masalanga also saving impressively from Abde Ezzalzouli’s close-range header and Ayoub El Kaabi glancing Hakimi’s cross wide.

Feisal Salum had Tanzania’s best chance shortly before Diaz struck, lifting the rebound over the bar after Atlas Lions goalkeeper Yassine Bounou had been unable to hold Mohamed Hussein’s curling shot from distance.

Morocco will play the winner of Cameroon versus South Africa in the quarter-final.

In the other Round of 16 game, Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions defeated South Africa 2-1. Junior Tchamadeu scored his first international goal when he in the 34th minute calmly curled a close range finish. Two minutes later, Aboubakar Nagida’s cross was expertly headed home  from a narrow angle by Christian  Kofane for Cameroon’s second goal.

Bafana Bafana however pulled one back in the 88th minute by Evidence Makgopa. The equalizer however failed to come for Cameroon to pull through to the last 8 .