Morocco defeated the Central African Republic with a remarkable score of 5-0, while Serhou Guirassy’s exceptional performance, resulting in a hat-trick, led Guinea to a triumphant 4-1 victory over Ethiopia in the final round of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations third-round qualifiers on Saturday.
Azzedine Ounahi scored two goals, while Abde Ezzalzouli, Achraf Hakimi, and Soufiane Rahimi each scored one goal as the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists, Morocco, achieved an easy victory in Oujda after leading 4-0 by half-time.
AFCON Qualifiers: Morocco Defeats Central African Republic, Guirassy Nets Three Goals
It was an expected outcome in Group B, as there is a significant difference in the rankings between the top-ranked African team, Morocco, and the Central African Republic. The gap of 114 places is the largest among the 24 third-round pairings.
Morocco matched the largest margin of victory in the 2025 qualifiers when they equaled South Africa’s five-goal triumph over Congo Brazzaville in Gqeberha the previous day.
Morocco has earned an automatic qualification as the host nation for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament. The prestigious continental football competition is scheduled to commence on December 21, 2025, and conclude on January 18, 2026, marking the first time in its history that the tournament will span across two calendar years.
Instead of playing friendlies, Morocco (nine points) chose to engage in competitive match practice, leaving Gabon (four), Central African Republic (three), and Lesotho (one) to contend for the remaining spot.
The pace and power of Guirassy proved to be overwhelming for Ethiopia in Group H, as the experienced French coach Michel Dussuyer, aged 65, embarked on his fourth tenure as the head coach of Guinea.
Guirassy, who was born in France to Guinean parents, scored the opening goal in Abidjan by sending goalkeeper Seid Habtamu the wrong way from an 18th-minute penalty.
His subsequent two goals, at the 37th minute and during first-half added time, witnessed the Borussia Dortmund forward outpace defenders and skillfully direct close-range shots into the right corner of the net.
It was the first hat-trick in the 2025 qualifying round, making Guirassy the joint leading scorer alongside Algerian Amine Gouiri, Egyptian Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan, and Ivorian Jean-Philippe Krasso.
Seydouba Cisse, who assisted Guirassy’s second goal, respectfully scored early in the second half with an assist from Mady Camara.
Guinea scored four goals in 48 minutes after only managing one goal in 180 minutes in their previous matches against the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania.
Ethiopia, who had not managed to score in their first two matches, finally managed to breach the Guinea defense in the 53rd minute, with Kenean Markneh scoring the goal.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo currently holds the top position in the standings with an impressive nine points. They share this remarkable achievement with Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Ivory Coast, and Morocco, all of whom have maintained unblemished records at the halfway point of the qualifying stage.
Tanzania has four points and Guinea has three, and their November meeting will likely determine who finishes second and joins DR Congo, the probable group winner, in Morocco.
The fourth matchday of the tournament commences on Sunday with a single game between Burundi and Burkina Faso. There are eight matches scheduled for the subsequent day, followed by fifteen matches on Tuesday.
