Ibtissam Jraïdi scored twice as Women's Africa Cup of Nations hosts Morocco batted away Kenya 4-0 in their tournament opener in Rabat on Sunday, with Algeria early beating Senegal 2-0 to kick off the biennial continental showpiece.
Defeated finalists on home soil a year ago, despite leading Nigeria 2-0 with just under half an hour to play, Morocco are expected to go the distance again, and delivered an early statement of their title credentials as they cruised past a limited Harambee Stars side at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium.
Goals from Sakini Ouzraoui Diki, Maryame Atiq and Jraidi inside the first half gave the hosts a commanding lead heading into the break, before Jraidi added a fourth soon after the break to wrap up a thoroughly one-sided showing.
Ouzraoui, who made ESPN's WAFCON Team of the Tournament at last year's edition, opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a driven low right-footed effort after meeting Yasmin Mrabet's through ball.
Atiq then added a second in the 29th with a thumping header from a fine corner, before Jraidi leapt to head Hanane Aït El Haj's looping cross beyond Lilian Awuor three minutes later as all composure evaporated from a muddled Kenya defensive unit.
The towering Awuor made six saves throughout the contest - including one fine block - but her inability to organise her defence, and some occasional jitters, meant Kenya offered little genuine resistance as Morocco moved through the gears.
The Harambee Starlets made three changes at half time to attempt to stiffen their resolve in the face of increasing Moroccan pressure, although a minute later, the hosts had extended their advantage, when Jraidi met a magnificent cross from the right by outstanding stand-in skipper Ait El Haj to snuff out faint Kenyan hopes of an unlikely comeback.
There was a noticeable absence of the fervour and excitement that accompanied the Atlas Lionesses at the previous two WAFCONs - both of which were hosted in the North African nation - although head coach Jorge Vilda will be encouraged by a performance that was bright, inventive, merciless, and demonstrated the Spaniard's accomplished tactical blueprint since he took the reins in October 2023.
In the day's earlier kick-off, Algeria saw off Senegal 2-0 in a low-key tournament opener at a nearly-empty Rabat Olympic Stadium, leaving them well placed to advance into the knockout stages for the second consecutive tournament.
There was little to separate the pair, with Senegal edging the first half, before captain Marine Dafeur broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 42nd minute after Korka Fall was deemed to have caught Amira Braham in the box.
Senegal felt they should have had a penalty of their own in the second half when substitute Sokhna Pene was brought down by Lana Smits, although VAR opted not to intervene on this occasion.
Debutant Melissa Bethi, tipped by ESPN as one of the potential breakout stars of this WAFCON, marked her competitive debut with an admirable second in the 88th minute as she was found in far too much space in the box after Khady Faye's disastrous clearance, before shifting her weight to evade a defender, and then firing home beyond the troubled keeper.
Once again, Algeria's defence proved impregnable, with the Fennecs and their goalkeeper Chloe N'Gazi still not breached in their last five matches at the tournament, a run that stretches back to 2018.
"We gave our opponents too much space," Senegal head coach Mame Moussa Cissé told CAF. "We lost this match because of the individual errors we made. We will analyse what worked, take the necessary lessons from this performance, and shift our focus to the next match.
"We now have to regroup and make sure we beat Kenya."
Senegal and Kenya meet in their next group fixture on Thursday at the Rabat Olympic Stadium, looking to keep their tournament hopes alive, while Morocco square off with fierce rivals and neighbours Algeria at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in the country's capital.
WAFCON Group B kicks off on Monday, with South Africa taking on Tanzania at Casablanca's Moulay Rachid Stadium, before Ivory Coast meet West African rivals Burkina Faso at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium.