Everyone thought the were on their way to booking a place in the round of 16 at the . Cody Gakpo’s 72nd-minute goal had given them the lead, and they then stood firm under sustained Moroccan possession and pressure. Those were undoubtedly difficult minutes for the Atlas Lions, but it was not enough. It takes more than that to beat this team.
As they so often did at Qatar 2022, found a way to win. That, according to Noussair Mazraoui, was because the team never lost faith. The defender, who produced an excellent individual display against the Netherlands, told FIFA that Morocco maintained their belief and confidence even while trailing.
“We never lost our composure throughout the match, even in the final moments,” he said. “We didn’t panic, even when they began to sit back and defend. In the end, there was a brilliant ball from Chemsdine Talbi, and Issa Diop equalised with an incredible header.”
Morocco’s opponents were never going to have it easy. That has become something of a theme. In Qatar, they faced a run of formidable teams from Croatia to Belgium, Spain, Portugal and finally France in the semi-finals. This time, they have again come up against elite opposition, facing Brazil in the group stage and then the Netherlands – two nations that are always among the contenders for major titles.
Mazraoui continued by underlining the scale of the challenge. “It was a very difficult match against a very strong opponent. They are one of the best teams you can face, without doubt. They are among the top ten teams in the world and contenders to win the World Cup. So the way we managed to win today says a lot about the work we have put in as a national team.”
The Atlas Lions delivered a strong performance, dominating possession in the second half against a side used to having the ball themselves. They also created several clear chances from the start before eventually prevailing on penalties. Ismael Saibari converted the decisive spot-kick after Yassine Bounou had produced a superb save to deny the Netherlands’ fifth attempt.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Saibari told FIFA briefly after scoring the winning penalty. “But I think the most wonderful thing is that we qualified for the next round. Thank you to everyone for their efforts.”
Mazraoui also explained how the second half unfolded tactically. “We controlled the ball more in the second half, and I think that was also part of the Netherlands’ strategy. They wanted to play on the counter-attack and allowed us to have possession. I’m not saying that was the case for the whole match, but it was clear in the second half.”
He added: “Their plan worked to some extent because they scored the first goal from a counter-attack – a simple long ball, then a header, then the goal. But we managed to finish the match at 1-1 and take it to penalties.” After finishing fourth at Qatar 2022, Morocco have shown no desire to step back from that achievement. They have continued to produce strong performances across their four matches and remain unbeaten at the tournament.
“Every World Cup is different,” Mazraoui said. “What we achieved was four years ago, and at every World Cup you want to show that you are capable of doing something new. So I think we are on the right path as a federation and as a national team. I’m happy, and we will stay humble until the end.”
Morocco now face a highly anticipated round of 16 tie against co-hosts Canada, although the match will be played at Houston Stadium in the United States on Saturday 4 July. “We will have a difficult match against Canada, definitely,” the Manchester United defender said. “They are in a good moment, they have a great team and they have a lot of quality as players. So it will be another complicated task as we try to achieve something for Morocco again.”
Sources: FIFA Official
