Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has set his sights on taking the Atlas Lions beyond the World Cup semi-finals after his side produced an impressive 1-1 draw against Brazil in their opening Group C match.
The North Africans matched the five time world champions for long periods at the sold out MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and left with a valuable point that further strengthened their growing reputation on the global stage.
Morocco made history at the 2022 World Cup by becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals. However, Ouahbi believes his current squad can achieve even more.
“I want to go beyond the semi-finals but it was a good match,” Ouahbi told reporters after the game. “One is good enough and we’ll improve.”
Before the tournament, the Morocco coach insisted his team were ready to move beyond their underdog status. Against one of football’s traditional powerhouses, they backed up those words with a confident and fearless display.
Morocco stunned Brazil when Ismael Saibari opened the scoring in the first half. The midfielder capitalised on a defensive lapse and calmly finished to put the Atlas Lions ahead against a Brazilian side that struggled to find rhythm during the opening stages.
Brazil responded through Vinicius Junior, who produced a superb finish in the 32nd minute to level the contest. However, Morocco continued to compete strongly and never looked intimidated by their more decorated opponents.
Ouahbi praised his players for their courage on the ball and their willingness to play under pressure against one of the tournament favourites.
“For the future of Moroccan football, we are confident. We drew; we’re happy. I’m not sad. We would have wanted to win, obviously, but I’m not sad,” said Ouahbi.
“What I’m really proud of is that we’re bold enough to play and ask for the ball under pressure. This is a great quality that we have.”
The Moroccan coach also highlighted the impact of his substitutions during a demanding second half. As fatigue began to affect both teams and mistakes crept into the game, the fresh legs helped Morocco maintain their intensity and remain competitive until the final whistle.
Mohamed Ouahbi said the changes added much needed energy to the team as they battled against Brazil’s late pressure.
Although Morocco supporters were heavily outnumbered inside the stadium, their presence was impossible to ignore throughout the match.
The passionate fans created a vibrant atmosphere and continuously backed their team from start to finish, something that clearly impressed the Morocco coach.
“I don’t know if 20% of the crowd were Moroccans, but we could hear them very loudly. If it was only 20%, they fooled me into thinking there were many more of them there,” said Mohamed Ouahbi.
“I hope they had great fun watching a good match tonight, and I hope this will continue.”
The draw leaves Morocco and Brazil level on one point in Group C after the opening round of matches. Earlier in the day, Scotland secured a 1-0 victory over Haiti in the group’s other fixture, giving the Scots an early advantage at the top of the standings.
Despite missing out on all three points, Morocco will take enormous confidence from their performance against one of the favourites for the title. Their disciplined defending, quality on the ball and attacking threat showed they remain a team capable of troubling the world’s best sides.
For Ouahbi, the result represents another step forward in Morocco’s football journey. More importantly, it reinforces his belief that this talented generation can achieve even greater success than the side that made history in Qatar four years ago.
The Atlas Lions now turn their attention to their next Group C challenge knowing that another strong performance could move them closer to the knockout stages and keep alive their dream of making an even deeper World Cup run.
