Super Sport
Morocco passed their only test before the Africa Nations Cup thanks to a hat-trick by Youssouf Hadji as the Atlas Lions beat Grasshopper Zurich on Monday.
It was the Swiss club though who opened the score at the Marbella Municipal Stadium with a penalty just before halftime.
But Youssouf Hadji indulged himself in scoring three times during the last fifteen minutes of the encounter.
The Stade Rennais striker hit form at just the right time, with one week to go before their Nations Cup kick off against Tunisia.
In Group C’s biggest clash, Eric Gerets’ men will face the Eagles of Carthage who they lost to in the 2004 Nations Cup final in Tunis.
Gerets, nicknamed the ‘Lion de Rekem’, used this friendly to give some game time to various key players.
The likes of Badr El Kaddouri, Abdelhamid El Kaoutari and Marouane Chamakh who don’t play regularly for their clubs, got some valuable time on the field.
And those returning from injury such as Nadir Lemyaghri and Michel Basser, were also given a run.
But the coach was without his injured young striker, Oussama Assaidi, whose state of health is uncertain at this stage.
