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Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi. Photo by IMAGO<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh has weighed in on Morocco\u2019s chances of replicating their historic\u00a0semifinal\u00a0run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup,\u00a0Soccernet.ng<\/u><\/a>\u00a0reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Atlas Lions began their campaign at the ongoing Mundial on Saturday night with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against\u00a0five-time world champions Brazil at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.<\/p>\n Morocco dominated large spells of the contest and deservedly took the lead in the 21st minute through Ismael Saibari. The\u00a0attacking midfielder\u00a0latched onto a defence-splitting pass from Brahim Diaz before\u00a0chipping\u00a0the ball over Alisson Becker to put his side in front.<\/p>\n Brazil responded just after the half-hour mark through another moment of brilliance. Vinicius Junior curled an unstoppable effort beyond the reach of Yassine Bounou to restore parity.<\/p>\n Morocco nearly snatched all three points deep into stoppage time, but Brazil had Alisson to thank for a stunning double save that preserved the draw as both sides settled for a share of the spoils in an entertaining Group C encounter.<\/p>\n Morocco enjoyed a historic campaign at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, becoming the first African nation to reach the semifinals before eventually finishing fourth.<\/p>\n Much has changed since that remarkable achievement. Head coach Walid Regragui has since\u00a0left the role, with Mohamed Ouahbi now in charge of the national team\u00a0after taking over in March.<\/p>\n While Oliseh believes Morocco are capable of matching their previous success, he warned that they cannot rely on the same tactical approach that served them so well four years ago.<\/p>\n Speaking on the\u00a0Global News Podcast<\/strong>, the former Super Eagles midfielder explained that opponents are now far more familiar with\u00a0that\u00a0style and will be better prepared to counter it.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it\u2019s possible they can build on it. The eggshell has been broken now. Everybody knows that when you\u2019re good, you can get that far. I think so\u201d,\u00a0Oliseh said on BBC<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cBut the question I\u2019m asking myself now is that if the Moroccans play the same way they did four years ago now, they won\u2019t get that far. Because they played a tactically very cagey style and came out countering to win games. But if you do that now, you\u2019re going to struggle.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cI find Senegal extremely strong. I find the Moroccans also solid, but how they now cope with the change of manager, I don\u2019t know how it\u2019s going to affect them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n Since the inception of the FIFA World Cup in 1930, only eight nations have lifted football\u2019s biggest prize. None of those winners have come from Africa, despite the continent producing several memorable campaigns over the years.<\/p>\n Cameroon and Ghana both reached the quarter-finals in previous editions, while Morocco\u2019s semifinal appearance in 2022 remains\u00a0Africa\u2019s highest ever finish.<\/p>\n Oliseh admitted it is one of his greatest wishes to see an African country win the World Cup during his lifetime.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s something I want to see before God takes me to heaven or hell\u00a0\u2014\u00a0I don\u2019t know which one he\u2019s sending me to. It would be great to see an African nation win this, because this is a competition that we all love passionately in Africa and whoever wins that, I wish them good luck\u201d, he concluded.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n Morocco\u00a0will now turn their attention to Friday\u2019s clash against Scotland, and fans can keep up with the tournament\u2019s ultimate guide\u00a0here<\/u><\/a>. They will then conclude their Group C campaign against Haiti on June 24 as they look to secure a place in the knockout stages and potentially emulate their historic 2022 World Cup achievement.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Soccer](\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/XsaY8pSFNEz7SVE3LWdRmXcrsYQ=\/2304x1536\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2026%2F06%2F2EFD0BE2-26E0-4587-AEE7-71F2DA8CCF85.jpeg\")
Soccer Sunday\u00a0Oliseh explains what Morocco must do to repeat 2022 heroics<\/h2>\n
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Soccer Oliseh hopes to see Africa win the World Cup<\/h2>\n
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