IFFHS DAILY REPORT WOMEN'S WORLD FESTIVAL 2022 - JULY 2
Picture : Ghislaine Chebbak, captain, goal scorer and Woman of the match !
Morocco edge Burkina Faso 1-0 at start of 2022 WAFCON
Woman-of-the-Match and captain of the Atlas Lionesses of Morocco, Ghizlane Chebbak's direct free kick on 29 minutes from just outside the box skirted the Burkinabé wall and forced a passage through the grip of the diving juvenile keeper, Mariam Ouattara to land the hosts the 1-0 victory. The hard fighting debutants demonstrated resilience and outright determination but were only denied a last minute equalizer justifiably blamed on illicit positioning by the scorer. But it should be retained that the lone goal of the match only came in after a VAR checking led to a replay of the free kick by the same player that had earlier seen the keeper thwart an opportunity for the winners in their third WAFCON appearance to celebrate a goal.
As the triple alliance of Salma Amani, Rosella Ayane and Ghizlane Chebbak mechanically contrived in assaults on the valiant Burkinabés, the overwhelming Moroccan presence at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat and other officials, notably CAF and FIFA chieftains, Patrice Motsepe and Gianni Infantino survived a scare minutes to the lone goal when Burkinabe Jacqueline Sédogo was stretchered out of the field due to a malaise. Her collapse from activity preceeded the unenviable achievement by Fabiola Traoré when she took the first yellow card in the tournament shortly before the interval.
The 28-match tournament continues this Sunday with the fixtures, Senegal vs Uganda at 4 p.m., Cameroon vs Zambia at 6 p.m. and Tunisia vs Togo at 8 p.m., as the vibes of the Opening Ceremonies in which Moroccan culture was bestowed in its silhouette continue to reverberate along the length and width of the royal landscape of the kingdom.