Qatar December 02, 2022: For the first time in 36 years, Morocco march on to the last-16. With this victory, they won Group F. No African nation has finished top of a World Cup qualifying group since 1998. The celebrations at the final whistle – the man-of-the-match Achraf Hakimi could be seen weeping, as the stands erupted in excitement – were something to behold. And rightly so. To top a group that included the teams ranked second and 12th in the world was some achievement.
But, boy, did Canada make Morocco work for those final three points that sealed their eminence. Sometimes, just sometimes, losers deserve plaudits. Canada had so much going for them – skill, effort, not to mention Alphonso Davies – they really ought to have collected more.
In this match, despite Morocco taking a two-goal lead within the first 25 minutes, with nothing to play for beyond pride, they never stopped trying, making life ever more uncomfortable for the vast swathes of vocal Moroccan supporters. They halved the deficit (albeit with an own goal) and almost got back on level terms, when, from a corner, substitute Atiba Hutchinson headed against the underside of the bar and the ball appeared to bounce over the line.
Technology, however, said it did not. Perhaps in four years’ time, when they will play in front of home crowds, these Canadians might finally achieve that elusive first World Cup win.
To the winners, though, the glory. Morocco look well-equipped to continue on deep into the competition. They have real quality – they must have to beat a side as dogged as Canada. Much of it will be familiar to English football fans. Romain Saiss at Wolves, Sofiane Boufal at Southampton.
And you suspect, on this performance, it will not be long before Azzedine Ounahi, a superb anchor in midfield, fetches up in the Premier League from Angers.
The two standout performers were those patrolling their right-hand side. Many a fan of England’s leading clubs has long cast envious glances at Paris St-Germain’s Hakimi, one of the best full-backs around. He was superb here, a Rolls-Royce of a defender, all smooth elegance, pace and power.
And he suggested afterwards that his team were the beneficiaries of a deliberate change of philosophy instigated by coach Walid Regragui, who took over only in August. “We had to change our mindset,” Regragui explained. “We didn’t want to fall prey to negativity. We need to duplicate the play of European and South American teams with our values, we need to mix the two.”
The player who has most benefited from the upgrade in confidence is Hakim Ziyech. He is having an exemplary World Cup. His turns, his disguised passes, his positional intelligence, everything he does is dangerous. And his goal to start things off after only two minutes, when he lobbed the Canada keeper Milan Borjan from 35 yards, was a masterpiece of cheeky invention.
Chelsea fans must wonder where this Ziyech has been lurking.
With Denmark out and Belgium wilting, many a pundit’s suggestion as to who might be the dark horse at this tournament has turned to dust.
But Morocco are still there. And it would be unwise for any of the other contenders to underestimate the threat they pose.
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