The Moroccans won a free kick in a good area which was taken by Omar Namsaoui. Cameroon goalkeeper Haschou Kerrido failed to put the ball to safety and Bouftini did not hesitate to find the back of the net.
The second goal for the reigning champions came in the 40th minute. The tournament hosts had committed forward in numbers and they were caught on the counter-attack. The ball was eventually passed to Abdelilah Hafidi who passed the ball to Rahimi and the latter eventually scored to register his fourth goal of the competition.
Defensive lapses in the 75th minute allowed Rahimi to win possession in the danger zone and had no problem scoring his fifth of the tournament.
Rahimi strikes twice as holders Morocco crush hosts Cameroon Douala (AFP) – African Nations Championship leading scorer Soufiane Rahimi struck twice Wednesday as title-holders Morocco hammered hosts Cameroon 4-0 in Limbe to set up a final showdown with Mali.
The defending champions could hardly have imagined winning the semi-final so comfortably in the southwestern resort town, with Soufiane Bouftini and Mohammed Ali Bemammer the other scorers.
Morocco created several records at Stade Omnisport, where the crowd was restricted to 25 percent of the 20,000 capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The winning margin was the widest in a semi-final of a competition reserved for home-based players, bettering the 3-1 victory by Morocco over Libya in Casablanca three years ago.
African Nations Championship leading scorer Soufiane Rahimi struck twice Wednesday as title-holders Morocco hammered hosts Cameroon 4-0 in Limbe to set up a final showdown with Mali.
The defending champions could hardly have imagined winning the semi-final so comfortably in the southwestern resort town, with Soufiane Bouftini and Mohammed Ali Bemammer the other scorers.
Morocco created several records at Stade Omnisport, where the crowd was restricted to 25 percent of the 20,000 capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The winning margin was the widest in a semi-final of a competition reserved for home-based players, bettering the 3-1 victory by Morocco over Libya in Casablanca three years ago.
The Moroccans went through to the finals when they hammered hosts Cameroon 4-0 at the Limbe Stadium.
Soufiane Rahimi was the two-goal hero for the title holders who produced one of their best displays of the tournament to beat Cameroon.
First-half goals by Soufiane Bouftini and Rahimi put the North Africans in firm control of the match as they silenced the vociferous home fans.
Rahimi scored his second on the night and his tournament’s fifth before Mohammed Ali Bemammer wrapped up the emphatic victory for the title holders.
The result ensured that Morocco will be chasing their second title in the competition, while Mali will be hunting for their first CHAN title, having reached the final of the 2016 edition.