At the end of a heroic qualification against the Netherlands, Mohamed Ouahbi praised his group’s performance. Faced with a Dutch selection which had chosen a much more cautious approach than usual, Ouahbi admitted to having been surprised by the approach of Ronald Koeman. “We were very surprised to see their composition with an additional defender. As soon as we saw it, we understood that they were going to defend very low and leave us very little space. We had to adapt,” explained the Moroccan coach.
For the national technician, the turning point of the meeting came during the break. “What made the difference was half-time and the work of the staff. We quickly found the solutions and, in the second half, we completely dominated the match,” he underlined, paying tribute to his entire technical staff.
Beyond this qualification, Ouahbi believes that the Morocco now enjoys real recognition on the world stage. “Today, everyone respects Morocco. Not because we say so, but for everything we have been doing for several years in the field. I see this approach from the Netherlands as a form of respect for the work carried out by Moroccan football,” he said.
“Morocco is a high quality team”
In the Dutch camp, Ronald Koeman did not hide his disappointment after this elimination. “I am extremely disappointed. We started well, but we didn’t manage to kill the match. Morocco stayed in the match and finally beat us on penalties,” said the former FC Barcelona coach.
Much criticized for his system with five defenders, Koeman nevertheless defended his tactical choice. “It wasn’t about being afraid, it was about defending better. If I had to do it again, I would do exactly the same thing,” he admitted, while recognizing the qualities of his opponent: “Morocco is a high quality team. They continued to believe until the end and deserve respect for their qualification,” he said.
Now looking towards their round of 16 against CanadaTHE Lions of the Atlas are approaching the rest of the tournament with increased confidence. If Mohamed Ouahbi insists on the need to remain focused and continue the work undertaken, this qualification further confirms the place that Morocco now occupies among the most respected selections on the world stage.
