Belhanda gives Morocco deserved warm-up win over Slovakia
Soccer Football - International Friendly - Morocco vs Slovakia - Stade de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland - June 4, 2018 Morocco’s Younes Belhanda scores their second goal REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
GENEVA (Reuters) - Morocco's Ayoub Kaabi and Younes Belhanda scored in a 10-minute second-half spell to give the World Cup-bound side a convincing 2-1 win over Slovakia in a warm-up friendly on Monday.
The North Africans, who play Spain, Portugal and Iran in their first appearance at the finals since 1998, dominated the first half and nearly went ahead when Hakim Ziyech hit the post from long range.
Slovakia, who missed out on the tournament in Russia, went ahead in the 59th minute when Jans Gregus rifled home a low shot from 25 metres.
Soccer Football - International Friendly - Morocco vs Slovakia - Stade de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland - June 4, 2018 Morocco’s Younes Belhanda celebrates scoring their second goal with team mates REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
But substitute Kaabi headed Morocco level five minutes later and Belhanda turned the game around when he chested the ball down and fired home with a low shot from the edge of the area.
Soccer Football - International Friendly - Morocco vs Slovakia - Stade de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland - June 4, 2018 Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi in action with Slovakia’s Milan Skriniar and Lubomir Satka REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
(Writing by Brian Homewood in Bern, editing by Ed Osmond)
Soccer Football - International Friendly - Morocco vs Slovakia - Stade de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland - June 4, 2018 Morocco’s Khalid Boutaib in action with Slovakia’s Milan Skriniar REUTERS/Denis BalibouseSoccer Football - International Friendly - Morocco vs Slovakia - Stade de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland - June 4, 2018 Morocco’s Karim El Ahmadi in action REUTERS/Denis BalibouseSoccer Football - International Friendly - Morocco vs Slovakia - Stade de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland - June 4, 2018 Morocco’s Khalid Boutaib in action with Slovakia’s Robert Mak REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
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