A precious draw against Croatia
Morocco snatched a precious draw (0-0) against Croatia, vice-world champion, on Wednesday at the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor, in a match on the first day of Group F of the Qatar 2022 Football World Cup. At the start of the game, the national team showed an offensive face by leading counterattacks through Hakim Ziyech , Achraf Hakimi, and Youssef En-Nseyri .
To deal with this, the Croats lowered the tempo of the game in an attempt to contain the momentum of the Moroccan players including En-Nseyri who almost surprised the Croatian goalkeeper with a header in the 17th minute. The Atlas Lions’ attempts to break through the Croatian defense resulted in a foul on Hakimi (20th) at the edge of the penalty area, executed by Ziyech who stumbled against the defensive wall.
Walid Regragui‘s men started this first period without complex, with an attacking construction and good tactical discipline, as well as constant pressure on the ball carrier. Confined to midfield, Luka Modric‘s teammates opted for long passes to the Moroccan penalty area to try to open the scoring. The trio made up of Hakim Ziyech , Youssef En-Nesyri, and Achraf Hakimi energized the offensive line of the Moroccan team which gave the opposing defense a hard time, especially on the right flank.
The Atlas Lions goalkeeper Yassine Bounou stood out towards the end of the first period (44th) by stopping a real opportunity to open the scoring for the Croats. After coming back from the locker room, a new opportunity presented itself to Josko Gvardiol (51st minute) but the opportunity was pushed back by the last Moroccan rampart. Achraf Hakimi replied in the 63rd minute and almost gave Morocco the lead with a set piece, deflected by Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, one of the best opportunities that came to the national team.
Both teams played open play in the second half to try to open the scoring with opportunities created by both sides. To further energize the attacking aspect of the national team, coach Walid Regragui launched in the arena Abderrazak Hamdalah and Abdelhamid Sabiri. Those changes left their mark on the game of the Atlas Lions, who became more enterprising, but without succeeding in making a difference. Walid Regragui’s protégés provided the essential opportunities in this match and pocketed a precious point, especially for the team’s morale, before facing Belgium this Sunday.
