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Morocco Holds Brazil 1-1, Manager Vows More to Come at World Cup
(MENAFN) Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi declared his side had served notice of their World Cup ambitions after battling to a 1-1 draw with Brazil on Saturday, insisting the North Africans have far more to offer as the tournament unfolds.
Morocco seized the initiative through an early Ismael Saibari strike and proceeded to pose a series of problems for the five-time world champions before ultimately sharing the spoils in their Group C opener.
"We won't settle for this. I can promise you this is not the end," Ouahbi told a post-match news conference in New Jersey. "The competition is long and you'll have a lot of fun watching us."
The manager said his squad was driven by a desire to surpass their historic run in Qatar four years ago, when they became the first African nation to reach the World Cup semifinals.
"I want to go beyond the semifinals, but it was a good match. We got a point. We hoped to have more, but one isn't a bad result and we hope to improve."
Morocco dominated the midfield for extended periods in the opening half as Brazil struggled to maintain possession under sweltering conditions.
Ouahbi said his players embodied the qualities he has worked to instil since succeeding Walid Regragui at the helm in March.
"The message to our fans is that I know they are very proud of us," he said. "Today we showed we're ambitious. We drew, but we showed we wanted to win. We showed that we have a strong personality and we'll continue to do this."
Ouahbi also singled out 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi for praise, after FIFA last month approved his switch of allegiance to Morocco. Born in France and previously capped at youth level there, Bouaddi was making only his fourth appearance for the Atlas Lions — yet played a pivotal role in nullifying the combined influence of Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes, and Lucas Paqueta.
"We already knew what he was capable of," Ouahbi said. "This is why we had many talks with him to choose Morocco. He played well. Everyone is excited about him, but other midfielders were great as well."
"Maybe because it was his first [competitive] match at international level. But in terms of experience, he has much more than others. He has experience in the Champions League."
Morocco will next face Scotland in Boston on June 19, before rounding out their group stage campaign against Haiti in Atlanta on June 24.
Morocco seized the initiative through an early Ismael Saibari strike and proceeded to pose a series of problems for the five-time world champions before ultimately sharing the spoils in their Group C opener.
"We won't settle for this. I can promise you this is not the end," Ouahbi told a post-match news conference in New Jersey. "The competition is long and you'll have a lot of fun watching us."
The manager said his squad was driven by a desire to surpass their historic run in Qatar four years ago, when they became the first African nation to reach the World Cup semifinals.
"I want to go beyond the semifinals, but it was a good match. We got a point. We hoped to have more, but one isn't a bad result and we hope to improve."
Morocco dominated the midfield for extended periods in the opening half as Brazil struggled to maintain possession under sweltering conditions.
Ouahbi said his players embodied the qualities he has worked to instil since succeeding Walid Regragui at the helm in March.
"The message to our fans is that I know they are very proud of us," he said. "Today we showed we're ambitious. We drew, but we showed we wanted to win. We showed that we have a strong personality and we'll continue to do this."
Ouahbi also singled out 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi for praise, after FIFA last month approved his switch of allegiance to Morocco. Born in France and previously capped at youth level there, Bouaddi was making only his fourth appearance for the Atlas Lions — yet played a pivotal role in nullifying the combined influence of Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes, and Lucas Paqueta.
"We already knew what he was capable of," Ouahbi said. "This is why we had many talks with him to choose Morocco. He played well. Everyone is excited about him, but other midfielders were great as well."
"Maybe because it was his first [competitive] match at international level. But in terms of experience, he has much more than others. He has experience in the Champions League."
Morocco will next face Scotland in Boston on June 19, before rounding out their group stage campaign against Haiti in Atlanta on June 24.
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