Moroccan football fans
A dreary performance against Cameroon on Saturday dashed Morocco’s hopes for a shot at the World Cup.
By Naoufel Cherkaoui for Magharebia in Rabat – 16/11/09
[Michael Steele/Getty Images] Morocco’s less-than-stellar performance in World Cup/African Nations Cup qualifiers dismays fans.
Morocco said goodbye to the World Cup/African Nations Cup finals on Saturday (November 14th), following a crushing 2-1 loss to the Cameroon Indomitable Lions in Fez.
At the bottom of group A, Morocco needed the win to remain in contention for either competition.
The Atlas Lions gave a flimsy performance on the pitch that lacked the harmony and fighting spirit needed to eke out a win. Instead of charging the Cameroonian goal, the squad instead fell back to defend their net. Throughout the match, the Atlas Lions made only a few faint-hearted attempts to grab the lead.
The Cameroonians, however, came out fighting and boasted both power and harmony. Cameroon’s defensive line lived up to its reputation of being swift to pass the ball, confusing the Moroccan squad.
Cameroon striker Pierre Webo, scored the first goal in the 18th minute, with a forceful kick that sent the ball to the left pole and straight into the Moroccan net. The Atlas Lions tried to counter the results with a disorganised offensive effort, to no avail.
Cameroon scored another goal just seconds into the second half at the 52nd minute, as striker Samuel Eto’o snatched their ticket to the World Cup.
Atlas Lions coach Hassan Moumen made excuses for his players’ lacklustre performance in a press conference following the match.
“We play today with a team that can be described as spare,” he said. “The absence of 14 pro players is quite enigmatic, so to speak.”
Moroccan media fuelled rumours that a row between key players and Moumen over squad firings caused several star players to sit out the match in protest. Abdeslam Ouaddou, Mbarek Boussoufa and Kamal Chafini were also on the sidelines due to injury.
Moroccan players dodged responsibility for the disappointing match.
“It was very difficult. We faced a powerful team,” said defender Adil Hermach. “However, it was the first time the current squad faced the team. Given the results, it is obvious we had to show a better performance.”
Atlas defender Mehdi Benatia mirrored Hermach’s statement.
“Perhaps we were lacking in experience. However, it is not the fault of the squad that the Cameroonians played against today, that squad which comprised many local players and youths. We gave it our best shot,” Hermach said.
“Today gave Cameroon their ticket to the World Cup. We knew that the defeat would be difficult to take. We were not expecting to win, but we sure did hope for it. We ought to learn lessons from that defeat. It is a shame stigmatising Moroccan football.”
Midfielder Mohammed Chihani added, “I hope that we will manage to compete at least against African states very soon. I am hoping that this is a temporary stumble.”
Fans were generally frustrated by their national squad’s current poor level, especially considering that the side used to be among the leading African teams.
“The Cameroonian lions devoured the Moroccan cats. Either way, the result did not come as a surprise,” said Morocco fan Warda. “We were expecting it. All of Morocco is upset and ashamed of the results.”
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