Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi refuses to single out player after Mali draw

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi said the responsibility for his side’s 1-1 draw with Mali was collective, rather than blaming one individual, after the Atlas Lions conceded a late equaliser in Tangier.

Morocco had taken the lead through Ez Abde in the 35th minute at the Grand Stade de Tanger, but Gaoussou Diarra levelled for Mali in the 77th minute. The friendly was Morocco’s final match of the international break.

The result followed two victories for Ouahbi’s side in their opening CAN 2027 qualifying matches. They beat Gabon 2-0 before defeating Lesotho 0-2.

Speaking at his post-match news conference, Ouahbi declined to identify a single player as being responsible for the draw and instead placed the focus on the team as a whole.

Earlier, in the mixed zone, the coach told Arryadia that he was satisfied with the performance of his players against opposition capable of testing and maintaining the team’s required level.

The fixture against Mali came after Ouahbi had expressed a preference for Morocco to face high-level opponents following a strong 2026 World Cup.

A match against Ghana had initially been scheduled, but it was cancelled and replaced by the meeting with the Mali Eagles.