Mağrib de Fes saw off Rahimo 4:1 in the first preliminary round of the CAF Champions League on Saturday evening. The hosts opened the scoring early, then widened the margin before the break. By then, the visitors had barely registered a shot on target.
The opening goal came at 7 minutes, a quick strike that caught Rahimo off guard. To be fair, the visitors were still finding their feet in the opening exchanges. The second before half-time arrived at 45+1, extending the advantage before the interval.
Rahimo tried to respond after the restart, but Mağrib de Fes closed the game out with a third at 59 minutes. The visitors had been on a good run in recent weeks, yet they could not find a foothold here. By then, the tie was effectively over.
The hosts added two more, at 73 and 76 minutes, to round off a comfortable victory. And here's the thing — the visitors managed only 3 shots on target all evening. The statistics tell the story: 11 on target for the hosts against 3 for the away side. The accuracy gap was stark.
Mağrib de Fes dominated possession at 56 per cent and generated 112 attacks. The visitors had 44 per cent of the ball but produced just 22 shots in total. The accuracy figures were telling: 41 per cent for the hosts, 23 for the guests.
The result moves Mağrib de Fes closer to the second round, while Rahimo's European campaign ends prematurely. The visitors had been impressive in their last five outings, but this was a different proposition. Cup football has its own rules, and tonight the hosts held their nerve.