Morocco winger Sofiane Boufal will miss tonight's Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 match against South Africa, head coach Walid Regragui has confirmed.
Regragui said Monday during a pre-match press conference that Boufal who turns out for the Qatar Stars League club Al-Rayyan, suffered an ankle injury and has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament.
He also said Hakim Ziyech faces a race against time to be match-fit for the titanic battle with a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs.
The duo have been an integral part of the North African team that reached the semi-finals of the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
Despite scoring the only goal against Zambia in the last group match, Ziyech was substituted after sustaining a knee injury.
Reports on Monday indicated that Ziyech, on loan at Galatasaray from parent club Chelsea, resumed individual training.
Regragui said there is no room for complacency, urging his charges to avoid costly mistakes against Bafana Bafana.
“We have no room for error, any mistake will eliminate us from the competition, and we will be out,” Regragui said, emphasizing that the Atlas Lions are ready for this “tough game.”
Morocco have a chance to go all the way to the finals following the elimination of defending champions Senegal in a post-match penalty shootout against hosts Cote 'Ivoire.
Morocco is also the only Arab country left in the competition.
