Ounahi repays faith in new role for Morocco with goals
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 16 – Canada v Morocco – Houston Stadium, Houston, Texas, U.S. – July 4, 2026 Morocco’s Azzedine Ounahi celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Issei Kato
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
HOUSTON, July 4 : A change in system has thrust Morocco midfielder Azzedine Ounahi into a new role higher up the pitch and led to his two goals in Saturday’s 3-0 World Cup round-of-16 victory over Canada, said coach Mohamed Ouahbi.
Morocco were comprehensive winners after struggling to break down Canada in the first half, with Ounahi bagging their first two goals in an outstanding display of finishing.
“We have changed our system, so he now plays further up the pitch,” Ouahbi told reporters.
“He has to play more in the final third. He is a very valuable player and able to break through the opponent’s press with his runs and breaking through the lines.”
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Canada created more opportunities in the first half, with their coach Jesse Marsch describing his side as being in “total control”. But Morocco were much improved after the break.
“The first half was very intense, there were a few adjustments to be made at halftime,” Ouahbi said. “We showed some video at the break and after that we were a lot more in control.
“I won’t go into detail of what we said, because we have some more games to play. We did not change our identity or game philosophy, but we had to use our midfield and (goalkeeper Yassine) Bounou to stop them pressing.
“We knew there were spaces behind (the defence) that we could exploit.”
Ouahbi was also impressed by the resilience of his side when they were unable to gain control of the game in the opening period.
“We tried to make our players understand this is the World Cup, which means there will be difficult moments. What matters is that when we are not at our best, we need to be resilient,” he said.
“When people talk about Morocco they are talking about a real contender and a major footballing nation. That is a great source of pride.
“We want to keep going, we don’t want to stop. We will keep the same ambition and same goal (to win the World Cup).”
One big worry for Morocco was the sight of their leading striker Ismael Saibari limping off midway through the first half.
“I have not had a chance to talk to the doctor yet,” the coach said. “Saibari had some pain in his thigh. We will know more in the next few days.”
Source: Reuters
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
About The Author
