Morocco return to form

Yousef Safri scored Morocco's third goal on 27 minutes.

Group 7: Morocco 5-0 Equatorial Guinea

The Atlas Lions put aside their unconvincing 1-0 victory over Gabon last month to race to the top of the grup with a devastating display against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday.

The Moroccans were three goals up mid-way through the first half, getting one more just before the break.

Noureddine Kacemi got the final goal with 70 minutes of the match gone.

Equatorial Guinea missed two second-half penalties.

The display in Rabat is a huge boost to the Moroccan side and to new coach Badou Zaki.

Morocco were one of the stars of France '98, but have failed to do anything of significance since.

They were also-rans at the last two Nations Cup competitions, and few of their players are hitting the headlines overseas.

The result sets up an enticing encounter with Sierra Leone in the next round in March.

The Leone Stars have won both their games, and are level on points with Morocco.

Whoever wins the match in Freetown will be in a strong position to automatically qualify for the finals.