Best friends With a goal from Hakim Ziyech against Zambia, Morocco advanced to the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations undefeated.

Morocco had the better of the early chances, but they couldn’t score until the 38th minute, when captain Ziyech scored off a loose ball that had rebounded off the goalkeeper.

Despite looking less dangerous in the attacking third following the substitution of their captain at halftime, the Atlas Lions persisted in exerting their authority in the second stanza. They nearly extended their lead in the final minutes of the match, but Tresford Lawrence Mulenga, the goalie from Zambia, made two spectacular stops to keep the score close.

Ziyech, a former Chelsea star, was a real electrifier for Morocco, setting up numerous scoring chances and, of course, scoring the game-winning goal as his team advanced to the knockout stage undefeated. Since Ziyech was substituted at halftime and was observed applying an ice pack to his ankle, the Atlas Lions still have a small cause for concern.

Unfortunately for the Zambians, Leicester City attacker Patson Daka wasted one of his team’s few opportunities. Even with an experienced forward like Daka, the Copper Bullets were unable to score in a match that determined their fate in terms of advancing to the next round.

Walid Regragui’s squad will play South Africa in the round of 16 on January 30, while Zambia’s fate is sealed after they finished third in their group with two points.

“We had to have it translated after Roman Abramovich poked fun at us at Chelsea.”

Frank Lampard provided a hilarious look at Roman Abramovich’s numerous outbursts while he owned Chelsea.

The Russian tycoon was among the most merciless club owners in football history until he was forced to relinquish control in 2022 because to sanctions, which he faced just after his nation started its invasion of Ukrаine. He made his presence known even if he could not attend matches at Stamford Bridge in his last years at the club.

With a little under 20 years on the market in west London, he passed through thirteen property managers. The oligarch frequently scolded the managers, but club legend Lampard said that the players were also targets of his ferocious Russian tirades.“I don’t know how much [things would have been different], if he [Roman Abramovich] stuck with Jose [Mourinho] through that [bad] patch and he’d stayed on — I know Jose’s history now looks like he moves on after a few years anyway, then Carlo [Ancelotti] left after two years — top managers,” the ex-Blues manager and midfielder said on the Stick to Football podcast, which is brought to you by Sky Bet.

Once again, we were able to win over the players. During the brief years when he was more accessible, Roman came and had several difficult encounters with us. He would show up abruptly and be very critical of us before our Champions League match at Old Trafford.Chicharito scored early in the Champions League quarterfinal [first leg], and he sat down [became angry]—I remember him saying this at the hotel, and the Russian translation makes it much harsher!