Video: 1 assist, 2 key passes: United star ripping it up at AFCON with stunning opening performance

Manchester United have three players in action in the Africa Cup of Nations this winter. Amad will represent the Ivory Coast, while Bryan Mbeumo will aim to deliver the trophy for Cameroon. Noussair Mazraoui Mazraoui will also represent his Moroccan side as they host the tournament. The African started at right-back as Morocco hosted Comoros to kick off the tournament in Group A. They came away with a hard-fought 2-0 win to start the group in perfect style. An assist Mazraoui has had a bit of a stop-start season for Manchester United, failing to gain significant time as a starter. Nonetheless, he has always been reliable when called upon, just like in his first season in England. The full-back is one of the most experienced and important players in his national set-up and he showed his class tonight. After a tough first half, Mazraoui helped his side find the breakthrough after 54 minutes. The Manchester United man controlled the ball well at the edge of the box and expertly spun round to pass the ball to Brahim Diaz, who gleefully passed in the opener. The 28-year-old also completed two key passes in the match and was excellent on the ball, making 88% of his passes. He also had 93 touches of the ball, demonstrating how important a role he plays for his side in both attack and defence. Mazraoui did fail in his only dribble attempt but did come close to scoring with one shot on target. Defensively solid The Manchester United defender also made two of his three tackles and won four of his eight ground duels. He also made one interception in the match. The hosts will face off against Mali on Boxing Day night, looking to secure their spot in the knockout round. Noussair Mazraoui stats vs Comoros StatValue Goals0 Assists1 Defensive contributions4 Tackles (won)3 (2) Interceptions1 Clearances0 Blocked shots0 Recoveries4 Ground duels (won)8 (4) Aerial duels (won)3 (1) Fouls1 Dribbled past1 Big chances created1 Key passes2 Crosses (accurate)5 (0) Accurate passes59/67 (88%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)42/50 (84%) Passes in own half (acc.)17/17 (100%) Touches93 Unsuccessful touches2 Dribbles (successful)1 (0) Was fouled1 Possession lost18 Total shots1 Shots on target1 Shots blocked0 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 Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.