Morocco players celebrate their win over Saudi Arabia yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: Moroccan fans packed Lusail Stadium for the Atlas Lions’ clash with Saudi Arabia, hopeful their team would make amends from their previous FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 match when they were held to a draw by Oman.
That result meant Morocco entered the final matchday under pressure, with the possibility of elimination on goal difference if they lost to the Saudis and Oman defeated Comoros.
However, those doubts were put to rest thanks to the determination of Tarik Sektioui’s men, who ran out 1-0 winners thanks to Karim El Berkaoui’s 11th-minute goal. Walid El Karti, one of the standout performers against Saudi Arabia, shared his thoughts on the team’s progress in his post-match interview with FIFA.
“The build-up to the tournament was short, but we’re getting better game by game,” he said.
“We hope to deliver an even better performance in the next match. We’re among the favourites (for the title), but there are other strong teams too.
“The game (against Saudi Arabia) wasn’t easy, but we got the job done and kept a clean sheet – that’s what matters most. The next match will be tough too because Syria are a strong side who have been playing well. We need to rest up and get ready for that.”
El Karti is not the only one who expects a tough challenge against Syria, who have beat Tunisia and recorded successive draws with Qatar and Palestine in their three Arab Cup games so far.
Tarik Tissoudali said: “The Syria game will be demanding but we’ll give it our all. It won’t be an easy task. We need to play as a team and fight together. Our tactics in this tournament are built on teamwork.”
Defender Soufiane Bouftini also insisted their is no question of complacency setting in for Morocco.
“Syria are a strong team, and we know the match against them will not be easy,” he said. “They also know that facing us will be tough. The team that shows the most focus will go through. We’ll treat the match like a final, but we also congratulate them on making it this far. The most important thing now is rest and recovery to ensure we’re ready.”
Bouftini also spoke about how the team prepared for Saudi Arabia.
“We knew we needed maximum focus and to play with passion and strength in order to reach the quarter-finals. Our qualification wasn’t guaranteed before the match, but we all worked hard together and pushed on to secure the victory.”
Walid Azaro, meanwhile, explained how Morocco are eager to extend their stay at a “beautiful tournament”.
“It’s a competition with outstanding stadiums and fantastic fans. I hope they continue to get behind us in the matches ahead. Our mindset is to take each match as it comes. We can’t think ahead – the key now is to focus fully on the Syria match.”
Morocco will face Syria tomorrow at 5:30pm (local time) at Khalifa International Stadium.
