Morocco will play the World Cup for the sixth time. The country’s team located in the far north of the African continent and which bathes its shores in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea has a long history in the world of baseball with international participation and great figures who have shone in elite European football. It will not be the exception in Qatar. However, the Moroccans are looking to make a breakthrough and reach the round of 16 to match what they did in Mexico 1986, their best historical production.
The “fireman” with a lot of work in a short time
Morocco qualified for their second consecutive World Cup, having firmly entered the Qualifiers: he has won all six of his games group stage and won 5-2 on aggregate against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the qualifying round for Qatar. His passage to the African Cup – however – was not the best: he was eliminated in the quarter-finals in extra time against Egypt for 2-1. That was the pause for the expulsion of the coach, the Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic.
The Royal Moroccan Federation terminated the 69-year-old Bosnian’s contract in August “due to differences over the team’s preparation before the World Cup.” Halilhodzic had not taken into account the African tournament Hakim ZyechChelsea footballer e Noussair Mazraoui, from Bayern Munich, for problems of indiscipline. Ziyech, meanwhile, had stated that he would never play for Morocco again while Halilhodzic was the manager. And he liked it.
The chosen one to take the reins of The lions of the Atlas was Walid Regragui, a 47-year-old Franco-Moroccan, born in the French commune of Corbeil-Essonnes, 30 kilometers from Paris. As a footballer he wore the jerseys of Racing, Toulouse, Ajaccio, Dijon, Grenoble and US Fleury-Merogis; also from Racing de Santander, in Spain; and from Mogreb Tetouan, in Morocco.
But what made him make the leap to the national team was his management at the helm of Wydad AC in Casablanca with which he won the Moroccan championship and the African Champions League. “We will not go to the World Cup to play only three games. We will adapt with the time we have and I hope to do well, we will optimize the time “he said assuming.
In the short time he was in charge of the national team, Regragui had just two games: a 2-0 win over Chile and a goalless draw against Paraguay of twins Guillermo and Gustavo Barros Schelotto.
Hakimi: speed, first experience and resolve
There is no doubt that PSG’s right wing is Morocco’s great reference. The 23-year-old has already established himself as one of the most talented defenders on the planet, with spectacular speed and offensive skills. He is even one of the main goal cards of the Moroccans, despite the fact that he comes from below: converted 4 goals in 12 games as a starter between the Qualifiers and the African Cup.
Son of Moroccans, he was born in Getafe, Madrid, Spain. At the age of 9, he entered the youth divisions of Real Madrid and went through all the stages until he reached the first team. He made his debut in 2017, played 17 games and scored two goals before going on loan to Borussia Dortmund. He shone in the Bundesliga and after two seasons Inter bought his pass for 40 million euros.
In the 20/21 season he won the Serie A Scudetto and after scoring 7 goals in 45 matches aroused the interest of the powerful Paris Saint-Germain, who bought his record in exchange for 60 million euros and offered him a five-year of contract. .
Hakimi was tempted by the Spanish national team, but it was always clear that he wanted to play for his parents’ national team. For the right-back, the one in Qatar will be his second World Cup since he was in Russia 2018, when he was just 18 years old. He played all three games as a starter and his team was eliminated after losing to Iran and Portugal and drawing against Spain.
The desire to adapt and a great desire
The Moroccan national team will have its sixth participation in the World Cup in Qatar 2022. A story that began in 1970 and continued with sporadic appearances over the last half century.
Mexico is a special country for the Los Leones, because it is not only the land that saw them debut, but it was there, 16 years later, that they became the first African team to reach the round of 16 of a World Cup.
In 1970 the reception was not very pleasant as he made his debut against West Germany. However, they fought and only lost 2-1. The debacle came in the second game, having been beaten 3-0 by Peru and greeted with the point of honor after drawing 1-1 against Belgium.
In the same country, but 16 years later, Morocco got back in touch with a World Cup and this time it made a qualitative leap and made history not only for the country but for its continent. He started his journey with a 0-0 win against Poland and then gave the big surprise by drawing for the same score with England. They closed the first stage with a legendary 3-1 win over Portugal to remain in Group F and become the first African team to advance from the first round of a World Cup.
In the round of 16 they faced West Germany. He played a good game but lost 1-0 to the future runner-up.
In the 1994 United States the results did not accompany them, as they suffered three defeats: 1-0 against Belgium, 2-1 against Saudi Arabia and 2-1 against Holland. And in France 98 He achieved excellent results but luck was not on his side and was eliminated only for goal difference. He made his debut with a 2-2 draw against Norway. He then recorded an expected 3-0 defeat against the reigning champions of Brazil. They ended their campaign in Group A with an excellent 3-0 win against Scotland, but Brazil’s unexpected defeat to the Norwegians kept them out of the World Cup. So it would be 20 years before he could return to a World Cup. In Russia 2018, two defeats and a draw (Iran and Portugal 0-1 and 2-2 against Spain) left Morocco once again empty-handed.
Source: Clarin
