Morocco coach Mohamed Ouabhi says the Atlas Lions have the belief and quality to make another big World Cup run — and can be “unstoppable” if they play at their best.
The African champions sealed a place in the last 16 on Monday, beating the Netherlands on penalties after a thrilling 1-1 draw and extra time in Monterrey. Morocco controlled large parts of the game before holding their nerve in the shootout to set up a mouth-watering last-16 tie with co-hosts Canada.
Ouabhi credits the team’s new swagger to their historic run at the 2022 World Cup, when Morocco reached the semis and changed expectations. “The World Cup in Qatar changed the mentality of the Morocco team, and I’m well placed to speak about this,” he said. “Moroccan players believe in themselves, and the supporters believe in us as well. That’s so important. They are demanding because they know just how far we can go.”
Still, he’s not letting anyone get carried away. “We know it is one game at a time. People think it’s going to be easy for us, that it will be a walk in the park, but that’s not the case,” he warned. “Canada are a very good team and they are going to make things difficult for us.” He also added: “What we need to be telling ourselves is that no one can stop us. We’re unstoppable if we play the football that we know how to play. But nobody is unbeatable. I tell my players that as well. If we get things wrong, we’ll go home. We have to use every tool in our arsenal to go as far as we can, and that’s the mentality we want every Moroccan player to have.”
Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman conceded Morocco deserved to advance and praised the rise of African football: “It’s very clear watching this World Cup that African teams have greatly improved tactically and in the way they play their matches,” he said. “Morocco is a country that consistently produces talented young players who continue to join Europe’s biggest clubs. It’s no coincidence that they are ranked higher than the Netherlands.”
Morocco now face Canada for a place in the quarter-finals.
