Morocco Coach Praises Players' Bravery After World Cup Draw With Brazil

Morocco's coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, lauded his players' courage following their impressive 1-1 draw against five-time world champions Brazil in their 2026 World Cup opener. Ouahbi, who had previously stated his team was ready to shed its underdog status after reaching the semifinals in Qatar four years ago, expressed pride in the team's performance.

"We drew, and we are happy. I am not disappointed. Of course, we wanted to win, but I am not sad," Ouahbi stated after the match. "What I am most proud of is the players' bravery to keep playing and asking for the ball even under pressure. That is a great quality we possess."

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We drew, and we are happy. I am not disappointed. Of course, we wanted to win, but I am not sad. What I am most proud of is the players' bravery to keep playing and asking for the ball even under pressure. That is a great quality we possess.

Morocco, despite being significantly outnumbered by Brazilian fans at the New York Stadium, delivered a performance that gave their supporters plenty to celebrate. Ouahbi noted that substitutions in the second half injected fresh energy into the team, especially as both sides began to make errors in the tense encounter.

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I want to go further than the semifinals, but today was a good match. One point is enough for now, and we will continue to improve our performance.

He specifically acknowledged the vocal support from the Moroccan fans, even if they were a minority. "I am not sure if only 20 percent of the spectators were Moroccan fans, but they managed to make me feel their numbers were much larger," Ouahbi said. "I hope they enjoyed a great match today and I hope this support continues."

Looking ahead, Ouahbi aims for Morocco to achieve even greater success than their historic semifinal run. "I want to go further than the semifinals, but today was a good match. One point is enough for now, and we will continue to improve our performance," he added, expressing confidence in the team's potential.

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I am not sure if only 20 percent of the spectators were Moroccan fans, but they managed to make me feel their numbers were much larger. I hope they enjoyed a great match today and I hope this support continues.