Morocco coach, Mohamed Ouahbi has set his sights on a semifinal qualification berth in the ongoing U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.
The North African country will clash with Sierra Leone in the quarterfinals of the tournament today at the 30 June Stadium.
Speaking to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) ahead of the game, Ouahbi also acknowledged the greater challenge posed by the upcoming knockout stage, starting with a tough quarterfinal against Sierra Leone.
“We finished top of the group. It’s well-deserved. We’re very satisfied with this first round, but we know we can do better, that we can still grow in this competition,” said Ouahbi. “I have a lot of confidence in this group. I know them well, I know what they’re capable of, and especially what they’ve already shown in the first three matches.”
The coach stressed the need for a mental shift as the tournament moves into the knockout rounds.
“Knockout games are a different story. We need to maintain our performance level and stay solid. We’re confident. We’ll be facing Sierra Leone, a team that’s physically very strong, with players of impressive size. On our side, we need to rely on our strengths: technique, teamwork, combinations, and positional play.”
Ouahbi also warned against underestimating Sierra Leone’s individual talents.
“They have players who can make a difference. Their 4-1 win against Egypt was no accident,” he said.
“They lost to South Africa, but that allowed them to rotate their squad. We know them well. We had studied them before and analysed them again recently. We’re aware of their strengths and weaknesses.”
The coach concluded with a clear objective: “Our goal is to qualify for the semifinals, which would also secure us a spot in the World Cup.”
The game has been scheduled to kick off at 15:00 GMT.
