African Nations Championship

Results: Morocco 0-0 Zimbabwe

Date: 12 January 2013

Venue: Athlone Stadium

The opening Group B game at the CAF African Nations Championship between Zimbabwe and Morocco finished 0-0 at the Athlone stadium on Sunday.

The opening 45 minutes was a close affair with few chances on goal as both teams tried to keep it tight at the back.

Morocco certainly had the better chances of the first half, but their finishing was certainly not at its best.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, struggled early on and only found their footing late in the opening stanza.

The first effort on goal came in the eighth minute as Morroca’s Issam Erraki let loose with a powerful shot, but he saw his effort well-saved by the keeper.

Erraki was in the thick of the action again in the 20^th minute as Erraki tried his luck with another long range effort, but this time his effort went agonisingly wide of the target.

Zimbabwe did not really feature in attack until the dying minutes of the half and only created their first decent effort on goal in the 43^rd minute as Donald Ngoma found himself through on goal, but failed to hit the target from close range.

Morocco, though, had the last say of the half with Erraki firing a 25-yard free-kick inches wide in stoppage time.

The start of the second 45 saw Morocco on the ascendancy and should have scored in the 55^th minute as a cross found Zakaria El Hachimi unmarked at the back post, but he directed his shot wide and across the face of goal.

Ten minutes later and Zimbabwe were unlucky not to score as Simbarashe Sithole struck the woodwork from close range after latching onto a cross.

In the 77^th minute Ali Sadiki tried his luck with a ridiculous attempt at goal with a left boot from an awkward angle, but he only succeeded in striking the side netting.

Both teams through numbers forward in attack as the match drew to a close, but no team could find the back of the net as the game ended 0-0.