Morocco qualify for World Cup

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Two goals in the space of five minutes midway through the first half ensured a 2-0 away win for Morocco over the Ivory Coast as they secured a return to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998.

Morocco needed a draw to finish top of Group C in the African preliminaries to guarantee qualification, while the Ivorians had to win at home.

(Reporting by Mark Gleeson, editing by Pritha Sarkar)