Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has declared that his team must believe they can win the FIFA World Cup, following their 4-2 victory over Haiti in the final league stage match on Thursday. The 2022 semifinalists finished runners-up in Group C behind Brazil on goal difference, maintaining their unbeaten run in the tournament.
Coach calls for title belief
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ouahbi emphasized the team's new mindset. "Morocco has entered a whole new dimension, and we are part of a new momentum where we actually need to believe we can take the title," he said, as quoted by Reuters.
He stressed the importance of commitment: "How do we reach this objective? Well, again, as I said before, we need to be 100 per cent committed. Today, we have the best ingredients that are needed to become the best nation, and we believe we can do it; the players believe in it, the same for the staff."
Disappointment at second place
Ouahbi expressed disappointment at not topping the group but acknowledged Haiti's spirited performance. "We were looking for first spot in the group, but Haiti had nothing to lose and played a good transition game, so it was not an easy game for us," he said.
He praised his team's statistics: "It was a game where we put up some very good stats and had a lot of chances, and I am very happy with all the players. We were on top of it throughout the game."
The coach noted that Haiti's early elimination gave them freedom. "But it was no surprise that Haiti would bring passion. They were always going to go all out and played with more freedom because they had already been eliminated," he added.
Round of 16 opponents unknown
As Group C runners-up, Morocco will face the winner of Group F on Monday in Monterrey. The opponents could be Japan, the Netherlands, or Sweden. Ouahbi has no preference: "I do not have any preference, and there is not much I can do about it anyway."
He concluded: "They are three teams with three different styles, and we will just have to be ready. This is the World Cup, and we came here for a reason, with a lot of ambition, and in the end, you have to play what is put in front of you."
