RABAT - Morocco defeated Mauritania 4-0 in the opener of the fifth edition of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in the Moroccan city of Casablanca on Saturday.

The biennial tournament, which is reserved only for African players based in their domestic leagues, features 16 teams in four groups.

The Moroccan team largely dominated the game, but they did not open the score until the last 25 minutes.

Ayoub El Kaabi scored first at the 66th, bringing more confidence to the squad in front of the goal. Six minutes later Ismael El Haddad scored the second goal, before El Kaabi came back to score his second goal and the third for his team at the 80th minute.

As the match was nearing its end, the substitute Achraf Bencharki impressed with the final goal at the additional time, ending the match on a high note.

In their last encounter last November, Morocco defeated Mauritania 4-2 in a friendly in their build-up for the competition.

The Moroccan side aim to lift their first trophy in the tournament after frustrating participation in 2016 when they left from group stage and a better one in 2014 as they reached quarter-finals.

In the other game of Group A, Guinea will face Sudan on Sunday.

During the same day, Zambia will face Uganda, while Cote d'Ivoire will play Namibia for the opener of Group B.

Running until Feb 4., the tournament is staged in four cities, including the economic city of Casablanca, northern city of Tangier and the southern city of Marrakesh Agadir.