Ghizlane Chebbak was the hero once again as the Morocco captain scored a fine hat-trick to ensure her team did not slip up against DR Congo, with the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) hosts eventually winning 4-2 after a topsy-turvy game in Rabat.

Chebbak, who turns 35 next month and was named player of the tournament at the previous Wafcon three years ago, had already saved the Atlas Lionesses in their opening match against Zambia, curling home from long range late on to snatch a 2-2 draw.

This time she struck twice in the space of 19 first-half minutes to settle nerves after Merveille Kanjinga had silenced a packed Olympic Stadium by giving the Congolese a shock lead with just six minutes on the clock.

The Central Africans, who scored with their only two shots on target, were briefly back level again thanks to Flavine Mawete’s goal with 20 minutes remaining.

But Chebbak slid in at the far post to complete her hat-trick just six minutes later, while a Yasmin Mrabet penalty in the closing stages finally broke DR Congo’s resistance.

Morocco’s victory came after Zambia had beaten Senegal 3-2 earlier on Wednesday, with both the North Africans and the Copper Queens now almost certain to qualify from Group A, but the Congolese are on the brink of an early exit after a second successive defeat.

The final round of group fixtures will see Morocco face Senegal and Zambia take on DR Congo on Saturday, with both games kicking off at 19:00 GMT.