At 23:00 Beijing time on December 1, the final round of Group F of the Qatar World Cup group stage, the match between Canada and Morocco began at the Alto Polo Stadium. After 90 minutes, Morocco beat Canada 2-1, and the Atlas Lions won three games, two wins and one draw to finish first in the group and advance to the round of 16. It is worth mentioning that this is also the second time that the Moroccan team has entered the World Cup knockout stage after 36 years, and it is also the second African team to enter the knockout stage in this World Cup.
The Moroccan team, which was once led by CCTV special commentator Xu Yang with the sentence "football there is very pure", was not optimistic before the game, what advantages did they rely on to successfully break through from the bags of Croatia, the runner-up team of the last World Cup, and the third-place Belgium team?
There are as many as 20 European players in the squad
The "going out" policy has gained a group of stars
Prior to the World Cup in Qatar, North African powerhouse Morocco had played in the World Cup finals five times. They only reached the round of 16 at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, and the other four were completed in the group stage. Moroccans' passion for football is clearly not satisfied with the team playing only one World Cup group stage.
In order to change this situation, in the past 20 years, Moroccan football has taken a similar development path as Japanese football - player export, allowing young and potential players to go to Europe early to receive high-level league training. In the 26-man squad of the Moroccan team for the World Cup in Qatar, the number of players in Europe is as high as 20, including many players from European giants.
Ziyech scrums with Canadian players according to Visual China
29-year-old Hakim Ziyech, who became famous for Ajax and now plays for Premier League giants Chelsea; The 24-year-old Ashraf is the main right-back of Paris Saint-Germain, he is worth up to 65 million euros, and he is an excellent helper for Messi, Neymar, Mbappe and other supergiants; The 25-year-old is an important member of the Bundesliga side Bayern Munich squad, having recorded three assists in the league this season.
The three men who have high hopes have all performed well in the World Cup in Qatar. In particular, Ziyech is the absolute attacking core of the Moroccan team, and his tandem and breakthrough in front of the court make the Moroccan team's attack "picturesque", while handing over the personal data of 1 goal and 1 assist, helping the Moroccan team beat Modric's lattice team Croatia and De Bruyne's European Red Devils Belgium team to qualify first in the group.
Immediate changes of coaches to address instability
This Moroccan team is united like never before
Changing managers before the World Cup seems to be a tradition for African teams. Morocco is no exception, but at least for now, they made the right choice.
Morocco's previous coach is the famous character coach Harry Hodzic, and although he has a very good lead and easily qualified for the World Cup African qualifiers, his relationship with the stars in the team is poor. In particular, his conflict with Hakim Ziyech and Mazraoui reached an irreconcilable situation, which directly led to the withdrawal of two big-name players from the national team. The Moroccan Football Association finally chose the side of the players. In September, Khali Hodzic left class sadly.
Morocco coach Regragui According to IC photo
Morocco's chosen firefighting coach is Regragui, known as "Moroccan Pep Guardiola", the 47-year-old homegrown coach who led Casablanca Vidade to the Mopolana Super League and African Football Champions League double this season. More importantly, he is very good at managing relationships with the stars of the team. Under him, the Moroccan team finally welcomed the return of Hakim Ziyech. And Ziyech also repaid Regraguei's trust with a perfect performance in the World Cup.
When the squad for the World Cup was announced in November, Regragui said with ulterior motives: "This is the best team to defend Morocco's honour!" With the three armies united, the Moroccan team eliminated all instability before the tournament and ushered in unprecedented stability and unity. A good team atmosphere is the foundation and guarantee for the Atlas Lions World Cup group qualification.
"The football here is pure"
Moroccans have a host dream
Xu Yang, who has been to Morocco, said "football there is pure", which caused heated discussions among fans. But in fact, what Xu Yang said is not exaggerated. Football is the number one sport in Morocco, where the atmosphere is so frenetic that you can even see football lovers playing on the pitch in the middle of the night. This is also the key to Moroccan football being on the rise.
Morocco hosted the Club World Cup back in 2013, when Bayern Munich eventually won the title, but the host team performed well and made it all the way to the final. The holding of this event also made the world feel the "devil's home" of Moroccan fans.
In preparation for this World Cup, Morocco has also done a lot of work to build momentum. In downtown Casablanca, a "live football zone" has been built that can accommodate thousands of people, equipped with large screens so that fans can enjoy the football carnival.
Moroccan team prepares for training according to IC photo
In fact, Moroccans have quite an obsession with the World Cup. They have bid for the World Cup five times, but all of them have failed. The five bids were for the World Cup in 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010 and 2026, with Morocco losing to the United States, France, Germany, South Africa and the United States, Mexico and Canada, which co-hosted the first World Cup.
According to media reports, although it failed to win the right to host the 2026 World Cup, the official in charge of Morocco's bid for the World Cup said that the bid for the World Cup will still be an important task for the Moroccan government, and the relevant Moroccan departments will continue to increase funds to improve the country's sports infrastructure. Morocco's King Mohammed VI also said Morocco would continue to bid for the 2030 World Cup.
Although Morocco's bid for the World Cup is very difficult, at least for now the Atlas Lions are still playing in the World Cup in Qatar and are expected to make history.
Pu Yan Red Star News Reporter Pei Han Intern Hu Lanyue
Edited by Ou Peng
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