Hearing Morocco’s national anthem reverberating throughout the colossal open-air , it was easy to think the clock had been turned back four years. When Atlas Lions fans were belting out the song in Qatari stadiums, they were clearly in the majority; this time, despite the best efforts of the North African supporters, it was Brazilians who dominated the stands with their presence.
On the pitch, however, it was a different story.
The sight of unsettling with their hard work right from the opening whistle was another reminder of the tenacious and courageous Atlas Lions side who lit up the .
But coach Mohamed Ouahbi appears to have further improved this talented group. Harrying and chasing across the pitch to win possession, launching lightning fast counter-attacks and passing the ball around with laser precision – Morocco’s 2026 group is more mature. It was hardly a surprise, then, that they started their campaign with a creditable .
For Ouahibi, it was another indication that the Atlas Lions are capable of challenging in the latter stages of the World Cup once again.
“We stuck to our principles. We had to play our game and play it well, and we were satisfied with that,” Ouahbi said in his press conference after the game. “It would have been nice to win, but I’m not disappointed with the result.
“If you offered me another semi-final like we managed in 2022, I’d tell you that I want to go further. It was a good game. It would have been nice to get more than a point out of it, but we’ll take this, and we’ll push on with our next match.”
As the final whistle blew, Brazil coach was under no illusions about his side’s performance. Despite responding well in the second half, they were close to joining Belgium, Portugal and Spain on Morocco’s list of big World Cup upsets.
“I felt that we started poorly, which is a concern for me,” Ancelotti said. “We lost a lot of duels and couldn’t keep the ball, but we got better in the second half. It was a tricky tie, and Morocco are a strong opponent.”
While a few of Morocco’s long balls may have failed to find their target, they frustrated the Seleção, thanks in large part to their midfield. Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, whose international career began less than a month ago, lit up the pitch. However, the 18-year-old was not the only one to impress for Morocco; Samir El Mourabet, just two years his senior, came on for the last half hour, and gave his side a second wind.
“It was a very emotional match. I’ve always dreamed of playing at the World Cup, but once we were on the pitch, you need to remain focused and ready to give everything you can,” El Mourabet explained to beIN SPORTS after the match. “We know that we could have scored more, and that’s something that we need to learn from in future games.”
Ouahbi was full of praise for his players, adding: “Ayyoub [Bouaddi] played very well, so did Neil El Aynaoui. I thought that Samir [El Mourabet] gave a great account of himself and [Azzedine] Ounahi put in a great display in the first half, plus there’s more to come from him. We also have [Sofyan] Amrabat, who’s ready to show us what he can do when he’s called on.
“There are also other members of the U-20 World Cup-winning side who didn’t quite make the squad this time. The future of Moroccan football is in very good hands.”
In terms of the more immediate future of his side, the man who took over from Walid Regragui in March of this year feels more confident than ever after going toe to toe with Brazil.
While 2022 World Cup stars such as Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazraoui and Azzedine Ounahi are ready to pick up where they left off, the younger contingent have picked up the baton from the likes of Sofiane Boufal, Romain Saïss and Hakim Ziyech.
Four years after making history in Qatar, Morocco showed they remain a team capable of troubling the very best on football’s biggest stage.
Sources: FIFA Official
