Skip to main content

Road to Russia 2018: Morocco returns to World Cup after 20 years



The Atlas Lions of Morocco will have the chance to roar again a day after the official opening of the upcoming World Cup in Russia. Their first game against Iran is on June 15 in St. Petersburg.
But it has been a long wait to line up again at the FIFA World Cup, the last time Moroccan fans saw their team at the competition was 20 years ago in France 1998.
Russia 2018 is their fifth shot at the global football showpiece as the team looks to do better than in previous outing. Their best performance was a round of 16 exit in the 1986 edition. They played in the 1970, 1994 and 1998 editions as well.
The qualification route started out very badly but the team turned their fortunes around to make the historic return. A mean defence line meant that they did not concede a single goal in group qualifiers.

Africa WC Qualifiers Group C – Morocco, Gabon, Mali, Ivory Coast

The qualification went down to the wire as Morocco played away to Ivory Coast in a “make or break” fixture on the final day The team needed a draw whiles the hosts needed to win to qualify.
Under the guidance of former Ivorian manager, Frenchman Herve Renard, the Atlas Lions recorded a two – nil victory to kick out the Elephants, who had qualified for the previous three World Cups.
  • Home record: Morocco 0 – 0 Ivory Coast, Morocco 3 – 0 Gabon, Morocco 6 – 0 Mali
  • Away record: Ivory Coast 0 – 2 Morocco, Gabon 0 – 0 Morocco, Mali 0 – Morocco 0
  • Goals scored = 11
  • Goals conceded = 0
  • Points accrued = 9
In Russia, Herve Renard’s side come up against European Champions Portugal and 2010 World Champions Spain after facing Iran. Renard is hailed for his successes on the continent, to what extent that will impact on the chances of the Atlas Lions is just a matter of time.

Russia 2018: Senegal and Morocco name World Cup squads

Morocco squad for Russia

Goalkeepers:
Yassine Bounou (Girona), Mounir El Kajoui (Numancia), Ahmad Reda Tagnaouti (Ittihad Tanger)
Defenders:
Badr Banoun (Raja Casablanca), Mehdi Benatia (Juventus), Manuel da Costa (Basaksehir), Nabil Dirar (Fenerbahce), Achraf Hakimi (Real Madrid), Hamza Mendyl (Lille), Romain Saiss (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Midfielders:
Youssef Ait-Bennasser (Caen), Sofyan Amrabat (Feyenoord Rotterdam), Nordin Amrabat (Leganes), Younes Belhanda (Galatasaray), Mbark Boussoufa (Al Jazeera), Karim El Ahmadi (Feyenoord Rotterdam), Faycal Fajr (Getafe), Amine Harit (Schalke 04), Hakim Ziyech (Ajax Amsterdam)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Real Madrid deny making €310m Neymar offer to PSG

After reports on Spanish television suggested the club had made a world-record offer for Neymar, the Merengue denied the claims Real Madrid have issued a strong denial after reports in Spain claimed a world-record offer has been made to Paris Saint-Germain to buy Neymar. The Brazil superstar has been linked with Madrid ever since leaving LaLiga rivals Barcelona for PSG last August. PSG paid a world-record €222million to trigger Neymar's release clause but, although the forward fired the club to a domestic treble, reports have indicated he has failed to settle in Paris. http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/real-madrid-deny-making-310m-neymar-offer-to-psg/rl4g7k0m5h4j1ivgxcznuv6jk
Post a Comment
Read more

Four Choice Places To Visit In Kaduna, Nigeria (photos)

Kaduna, located in the Northern part of Nigeria, boasts of visitors that come in troops to get in tune with nature and wildfire. Nicknamed the “Crocodile City” because of the crocodile symbols that adorn the state, it is one of the oldest created states with secret destinations that you do not want to miss. Kajuru Castle Kajuru Castle. Photo findingae Likened to a fairytale, the castle is one of the most beautiful castles you can imagine. The European-style castle takes an adventurous climb on the hills around it to get to it. Reward yourself with a warm swim in the pool and take a tour as you search for your sleeping beauty who remains hidden in the castle. Matsirga Waterfalls Looking for a waterfall in Nigeria to have fun in? You do not want to miss the Matsirga waterfalls. The waterfalls come to life when it rains. You can enjoy the waterfall by sitting on the rock shelter at the river bank. Nok City Nok Terracotta (chin to knee position) in the Louvre Mus...
Post a Comment
Read more

10 Skills That Are Super Useful To Know In The 21st Century

Technological advancement has made life in the 21st century both fun and challenging. It is fun for the millennial who moves along with technological tides, while it is challenging for those who decide to remain stagnant. Generally, there are four currencies in the 21st century that will make life easy when you have any of them. These currencies are; ideas, information, relationship and skills. However, our focus on this article will be on one of the currencies of the 21st century – skills. So, sit back and read the skills that are super useful to know in the 21st century. Regardless of the job you do, you should learn one of these skills that are super useful to know in the 21st century. This will make you to be a solution provider in whatever situation you find yourself. There are certain skills that are useful in every job. And when you make sacrifice to learn these skills you will become indispensable in your department. This will definitely be a great plus to your ca...
Post a Comment
Read more