El Kaabi, who plays for RS Berkane, opened the scoring for his side in the 27th minute with a sublime header past Guinea goalkeeper Abdoulaye Kanté.

However, the scores were level under a minute later as Saïdouba Bissiri Camara scored a delightful left-footed chip for Guinea, who came fourth at the 2016 edition of the competition.

El Kaabi, who had already found the back of the net twice prior to this match, then restored Morocco’s lead in the 64th minute before sealing the points for his side with his third goal on the 68-minute mark.

This result means hosts Morocco, who only finished third in their group at the 2016 African Nations Championships, have now booked their place in the quarter-final.

Sudan, who came third when they hosted the tournament in 2011, have also booked their place in the knockout stages of the competition after recording a 1-0 victory over Mauritania, despite being outplayed for much of the game.

Mauritania ended up having 19 shots to Sudan's eight in the 90 minutes but were unable to finish their chances, allowing Sudan to sneak to victory thanks to Walaa Eldin Musa's 30th-minute strike.

The African Nations Championship, a competition for home-based African players, was initially due to be held in Kenya before the Confederation of African Football stripped the country of the event due to concerns over infrastructure.

Morocco will be hoping to use the tournament to showcase their hosting credentials as they are bidding for the 2026 World Cup against a joint effort from the United States, Canada and Mexico.