Morocco impress with free-flowing football but fail to turn style into goals

Morocco is on the verge of advancing to the World Cup knockout stages, drawing praise for their dynamic play. However, their fluid football has yet to translate into a significant number of goals.

The North Africans secured a 1-0 victory over Scotland following a 1-1 draw with Brazil, accumulating four points before their final Group C match against Haiti. Despite 26 shots across these two games, they have only managed to score twice.

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Of course, we would have liked to score that second goal to be more at ease, but we wanted to keep them really, really high up so they wouldn't get too close to our box.

Ismael Saibari, a key striker, scored the fastest goal of the current World Cup against Scotland and also put Morocco ahead against Brazil. Brahim Diaz's skillful play was instrumental in setting up Saibari's goal against Scotland. The young midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, in only his second international match, displayed remarkable composure, dominating the midfield and completing 601 passes, the most by an African team in a World Cup since 1966.

Despite their technical superiority and pressure on Scotland, Morocco only registered two shots on target. Coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who took over in March, acknowledged the team's need for greater efficiency in scoring. "We lacked a bit of efficiency, but ... Ismael Saibari has two goals. He's keeping it up. I hope there are others who will score too," he stated. He also emphasized the team's defensive focus as Scotland increased their intensity, aiming to prevent close-range attacks on their goal.

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We lacked a bit of efficiency, but ... Ismael Saibari has two goals. He's keeping it up. I hope there are others who will score too.