Morocco travelled to Qatar without most of their star players, who will be taking part in the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil.
Doha, Qatar: It was the kind of night when the roars cascaded relentlessly down from the stands. In a hard-fought quarter-final against a spirited Syria side, Morocco eventually secured their place in the last four of the FIFA Arab Cup 2025.
Despite dominating possession and piling constant pressure on the Syrian goal, they struggled to break down a resolute defence, thanks to an inspired performance from goalkeeper Elias Hadaya. A late strike in the 79th minute finally settled the contest amid an electric atmosphere at the Khalifa International Stadium.
With the score goalless, substitute Mounir Chouiar unleashed a powerful strike from outside the area, with Hadaya only able to parry the ball into the path of the onrushing Oualid Azaro, who calmly slotted home the winner.
“I’m incredibly happy, and I feel like we are a really tight-knit group”, the match-winner told FIFA. “Each player gives their all and supports one another.”
Like Mounir Chouiar, the Ajman Club player started the match on the bench, but ended up coming on earlier than anticipated after Tarik Tissoudali was forced off in the 24th minute after a collision with Hadaya. Thankfully, the 32-year-old was not seriously injured will have been pleased to see that his replacement was able to make an impact in his absence.
Azaro continued: “The most important thing for both starters and substitutes is to remain fully focused when they come on and maintain a high standard, and all the players are well aware of that.”
Despite not getting on the scoresheet, Chouiar’s immense impact on the game was enough to put the former RC Lens player in a cheerful mood in the mixed zone as he echoed his team-mate’s sentiments:
“I’m really happy. Everyone is always ready, whether you start the match or come off the bench,” Chouiar said. “We always have to be ready to come on and change the game. I’m happy to have done that for the team and I hope it’ll continue. We have a goal to achieve [winning the tournament] which isn’t going to be easy.”
Morocco travelled to Qatar without most of their star players, who will be taking part in the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil in a few days’ time. However, strong performances in this tournament have underlined the squad depth that the Atlas Lions possess. In what was his first appearance for his country, Chouiar could barely have dreamed of a better debut.
“I came here with the goal of representing my country”, he explained. “It’s a first for me since I’ve never played for the national team before. When I got the call up, the aim was simply to build a family, to get to know the other players and the competition and to see what it’s like to play for Morocco. And to be honest, we are like a family and that gives us extra motivation to keep going. It’s amazing.”
Ahead of the semi-final, manager Tarik Sektioui will likely have to look to his bench to keep his title ambitions alive with Tarik Tissoudali’s availability for the next round unknown and Mohamed Moufid suspended following his red card at the end of the match against Syria.
“We were hoping to have everyone available, but, God willing, we will overcome these obstacles and be ready for the upcoming matches,” Azaro added. “We’ve had some issues, but what’s important is that we find solutions.”
As Moroccan football enjoys its most successful period in its history, the Atlas Lions can be confident that they have the strength and squad depth to overcome these challenges when they face either Algeria or the United Arab Emirates for a place in the Arab Cup final.
