Carried off on a stretcher: worrying injury for Morocco star

A star of the Moroccan national team suffered a serious injury on Sunday, and it is bad news for Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi.

Morocco face Niger twice in less than a month, in the third and fourth rounds of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations finals.

Ouahbi has been keeping tabs on his players scattered across Europe's leagues. On Sunday, he got news he did not want.

Azzedine Ounahi picked up the injury as Panathinaikos took on Asteras in the Greek league.

Nineteen minutes in, the midfielder went down clutching his left thigh in severe pain and the medical staff had to carry him off on a stretcher. Panathinaikos went on to win 5-1.

The Greek club have yet to reveal the nature of the injury or how long their man will be out, with detailed medical examinations still to come to determine its severity.

That stretcher exit, and the pain on the player's face, has stoked fears about just how bad it is.

Timing could hardly be worse. Morocco return to continental action next November, facing Niger on the 13th and 17th in Casablanca and Rabat, in the third and fourth rounds of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.