9 duels won: Imperious United ace steers country to big win, tees up tasty showdown with Old Trafford teammate

Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui produced another top performance, this time helping Morocco to cruise past Tanzania and into the quarter-final of the Africa Cup of Nations Mazraoui dazzles again Mazraoui has been in fine form for Cameroon during AFCON and he was at it again on Sunday as Morocco beat Tanzania 1-0. Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz netted the only goal of the contest to stretch Morocco’s unbeaten run to 23 games. Mazraoui was deployed at left-back and was on the pitch for 76 minutes before being taken off and replaced by Anass Salah-Edine. Mazraoui found his teammates with 54 of the 61 passes he attempted (89% individual pass accuracy). One of these was a key pass. He touched the ball 77 times and completed the one dribble he embarked on. He was solid defensively, contributing one tackle, one clearance and one interception. The United man delved into seven ground duels, coming out on top five times. He won four of the eight aerial challenges that he competed for. CategoryStats Tackles (won)2 (1) Interceptions0 Clearances1 Recoveries1 Ground duels (won)7 (5) Aerial duels (won)8 (4) Touches77 Unsuccessful touches1 Dribbles (successful)1 (1) Was fouled3 Key passes1 Crosses (accurate)0 (0) Accurate passes54/61 (89%) Morocco will now face Cameroon in the quarter-final, a clash that will see Mazraoui come up against United teammate Bryan Mbeumo, who was in action for the Indomitable Lions against South Africa. Mbeumo’s performance Cameroon secured a 2-1 win against South Africa, with goals from Junior Tchamadeu and Christian Kofane on either side of the interval. Tchamadeu broke the deadlock in the 34th minute at Al Medina Stadium in Rabat, and Bayer Leverkusen forward Kofane headed in the crucial second goal two minutes after half-time to ensure that Evidence Makgopa’s late volley was just a consolation prize for South Africa. Mbeumo played the entire game and fired just one shot. He attempted 21 passes and found a Cameroon teammate 17 times. The United summer signing registered 36 touches of the ball. He won the one tackle he put in and made as many interceptions. While he recorded four recoveries, Mbeumo struggled in his individual battles, winning just two of the nine duels he contested. CategoryStats Tackles (won)1 (1) Interceptions1 Recoveries4 Ground duels (won)6 (1) Aerial duels (won)3 (1) Total shots1 Touches36 Dribbles (successful)1 (0) Key passes1 Crosses (accurate)3 (0) Accurate passes17/21 (81%) (Stats obtained from Sofascore) Cameroon vs. Morocco will be played this Friday evening. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Latest Top Stories… Derick Kinoti Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the Premier League extensively for years. His work blends sharp analysis, tactical insight, and engaging storytelling that resonates with fans around the world. Derick has gained valuable experience in football journalism, developing strong expertise in SEO writing, digital content creation, and social media engagement. A tech enthusiast with a Computer Science degree from the University of Nairobi, he ultimately swapped code for football commentary, bringing an analytical, detail-oriented approach to his writing. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!