The victory of Morocco against Lesotho (2-0) this Tuesday in Bloemfontein was also marked by the return to competition of Achraf Hakimi. The captain of the Atlas Lions returned to the field after several weeks disrupted by a right thigh injury.
Starting on the bench, the Paris Saint-Germain full-back made his appearance in the 69th minute, while Morocco was still leading 1-0 thanks to a goal scored by Brahim Díaz just before halftime. Hakimi thus regained playing time in a match ultimately won 2-0 after Azzedine Ounahi’s goal in the 82nd minute.
The Moroccan had not played since his injury against Brest on September 13. Suffering from a right thigh injury, he left the pitch as early as the 39th minute. Subsequent examinations revealed a slight lesion, which notably forced him to miss the Classique against Olympique de Marseille. PSG then announced his gradual return to training on the field.
Hakimi also had to watch from the stands the first match of the Lions in these qualifiers against Gabon. Suspended following the events of the CAN 2025 final, he received a two-match suspension, one of which was deferred for a year. Having served his firm suspension against the Gabonese, he was therefore eligible to play against Lesotho.
Mohamed Ouahbi chose not to take any risks by not starting his captain and granting him about twenty minutes to gradually regain the rhythm of competition. His entry is nevertheless excellent news for the Atlas Lions, who recover one of their key players ahead of the continuation of the gathering.
With this 2-0 success, Morocco has six points after two matchdays in the CAN 2027 qualifiers. For Achraf Hakimi, this evening in Bloemfontein was primarily a step towards a full return to capacity.
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