Home » Noussair Mazraoui: Man United star shines as Morocco ease into semi-final

Noussair Mazraoui: Man United star shines as Morocco ease into semi-final

by Alex Browne
Picture of Noussair Mazraoui

Manchester United duo Noussair Mazraoui and Bryan Mbeumo faced off against each other on international duty.

Africa Cup of Nations hosts Morocco edged past Cameroon 2-0 to book their place in the semi-final.

Noussair Mazraoui

Mazraoui has been a consistent performer for Morocco, and he was once again a key reason why they kept a clean sheet against the Indomitable Lions.

It was their fourth shutout in five matches, conceding just once in the 1-1 draw with Mali. Mazraoui won 100% of his tackles and made five defensive contributions in the match.

He also made one clearance and blocked one shot to help protect his goal. The full-back was also combative, winning eight out of the 13 duels that he competed in.

Mazraoui did not take part in the build-up as much as he usually would, failing to complete any key passes or crosses. He was also only successful in one out of three dribble attempts.

Morocco will have to wait and see who their semi-final opponents are, but they will face them on Wednesday night.

Noussair Mazraoui stats vs Cameroon

StatValue
Goals0
Assists0
Defensive contributions5
Tackles (won)3 (3)
Interceptions0
Clearances1
Blocked shots1
Recoveries3
Ground duels (won)11 (7)
Aerial duels (won)2 (1)
Fouls2
Dribbled past0
Key passes0
Crosses (accurate)0 (0)
Accurate passes15/29 (52%)
Passes in opposition half (accurate)9/22 (41%)
Passes in own half (accurate)6/7 (86%)
Touches47
Unsuccessful touches1
Dribbles (successful)3 (1)
Was fouled3
Possession lost17
Total shots0
Shots on target0
Shots blocked0

Bryan Mbeumo

The Cameroon winger had an off night as his side crashed out of the competition.

He only managed one shot on goal that was blocked by the defence.

Mbeumo was also strangely poor on the ball, only completing a paltry one of his eight dribble attempts as he was well shackled by a stingy Moroccan defence.

He did show his quality in the attacking third, though, with two key passes and two crosses that found their intended target.

The Cameroon winger tried hard but was poor in his duel attempts, winning just four from 17 contested.

Mbeumo will now return to Manchester, and fans will be delighted that he should be available to face Manchester City at Old Trafford next Saturday.

Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images


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1 comment

Anonymous 10/01/2026 - 07:21

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