Bono Turns Morocco's AFCON Night into a Sparkling Show
10 January 2026
Match Momentum
Saudi club goalkeeper Bono makes AFCON history.
The Moroccan team lit up Africa's Cup on home soil, reaching the semi-finals after beating Mali 2-0 last Friday.
The Moroccans now await the winner of Nigeria vs Algeria in the quarterfinals of the continental championship.
Defensive Dominance
Behind this brilliance, several striking numbers emerge, led by the entire defensive line under Bono, the Atlas Lions captain, who has faced only four shots in five matches so far.
Conceding just one goal, from a penalty, in five matches, four clean sheets, and three saves from four attempts, Bono holds a 75% success rate across the tournament.
According to SofaScore, Bono becomes the first Moroccan keeper to record ten clean sheets in AFCON history, with two in 2019, 2021 and 2023 editions, and four more in the current edition.
The data also show Achraf Hakimi, Morocco's right-back, delivering nine key passes—the most by any player in the tournament—tied with his teammate Abdessamad Zalzouli, despite his absence from the official lineup in the group stage.
These numbers underline the resilience of Morocco's backline, led by the veteran keeper who proves day after day that he is among the best in African and Arab football history.
Punchline 1: If defense wins championships, Bono just built a fortress with a gate that never opens.
Punchline 2: And my GPS got jealous of those passes - Hakimi and Zalzouli were so precise, they could coach it on a map.
