WATCH extended 2021 FIFA Arab Cup daily highlights from December 1-19 via SBS On Demand, plus LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE coverage of the semi-finals and final on SBS and SBS On Demand from December 16.
Morocco 4-0 Palestine
Morocco opened Group C with a 4-0 victory over Palestine thanks to goals from Mohamed Nahiri, Abdelilah Hafidi and Badr Benoun.
Hafidi's second-half double put the result beyond doubt for the African nation, before Benoun's penalty added the finishing touch.
Saudi Arabia 0-1 Jordan
Jordan, meanwhile, defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 despite playing almost the entire second half with 10 men.
Adnan Hamad's men stunned their neighbours with a flurry of first-half chances but faced an uphill battle after Ehsan Haddad saw red eight minutes after the restart.
Despite their one-man advantage, the Saudis struggled to break down their opposition and Khalifah Al-Dawsari's 62nd-minute own goal only made things worse.
The Green Falcons fashioned their best chance of the game right at the death - one blazed over the bar by Hamed Al-Ghamdi - but by then, they too had been reduced to 10 men.
Algeria 4-0 Sudan
Arab Cup favourites Algeria opened their campaign with a 4-0 victory over Sudan at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.
A brace from Baghdad Bounedjah sent the Greens on their way, before Djamel Benlamri and Hillal Soudani completed the rout by the 46th minute.
Egypt 1-0 Lebanon
Group D rivals Egypt were also victorious in their opening game, defeating Lebanon 1-0 thanks to Mohamed Afsha's 71st-minute penalty.
The Egyptians had probed their opposition to no avail up until Afsha's crucial spot-kick, with goalkeeper Mostafa Matar doing his utmost to preserve a point for Lebanon.
In the end, Afsha's strike proved the difference, and leaves Carlos Queiroz's side level at the top with Algeria.
