Despite enduring a difficult first half in Atlanta, the Atlas Lions twice came from behind to beat Haiti 4-2 and secure their spot in the knockout stage.
Morocco went down twice before showing character, quality and depth after the break to finish the group stage unbeaten.
Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari scored before half-time to cancel out Haiti’s two goals, before substitutes Soufiane Rahimi and Yassine Gessime struck in the second half to complete the comeback.
The emphatic victory enabled Morocco to finish second in Group C on seven points, the same number as leaders Brazil, who hammered Scotland 3-0 in another fixture.
[infobox id=”4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3″ /]Morocco’s objective to win World Cup
“Morocco has entered a whole new dimension, and we are part of a new momentum where we actually need to believe we can take the title,” Ouahbi told reporters after the game.
“For that reason, our objective must be to win the World Cup. Winning the World Cup requires us to respect every team we face. I trust the work we are doing.”
He continued: “How do we reach this objective? Well, again, as I said before, we need to be 100 percent committed. Today, we have the best ingredients that are needed to become the best nation, and we believe we can do it; the players believe in it, the same for the staff.”
Ouahbi added: “We were looking for first spot in the group, but Haiti had nothing to lose and played a good transition game, so it was not an easy game for us.
“It was a game where we put up some very good stats and had a lot of chances, and I am very happy with all the players. We were on top of it throughout the game.”
However, Ouahbi admitted Morocco have to improve on a few things if they are to go far in the competition.
He said: “We need to correct some things. After every game, we study and analyse everything that happened so we can improve.”
Morocco ready to face everyone
Asked if he has a preference to face either the Netherlands, Japan, or Sweden, Ouahbi stated all of the above are great teams and said he has no preference.
“I do not have a preferred opponent. Tomorrow we will know the team we will face, and we have three different possibilities ahead of us, each with its own style of play,” added Ouahbi.
“We are at the World Cup, and we came here with great ambitions. We have the desire and the ambition, and we are ready for everyone.
“We have to prepare ourselves first, and then analyse the opponents. We have even already analyzed the performances of the Netherlands, Japan, and Sweden.”
On returning to Monterrey for their Round of 32 fixture, Ouahbi said he remembers vividly when Morocco played Poland in the 1986 World Cup at the same venue.
“I remember the 1986 World Cup,” he said. “Morocco played their first match against Poland. I was 10 years old at the time, and the national team had a wonderful tournament. We are going back to where everything started.”
He concluded: “The opponent and the venue do not matter to me. What matters is that we remain focused, analyse the other team well and correct everything we can within our squad.”
Morocco holds the record for the most World Cup goals and the most tournament victories (seven) of any African nation. Their defining moment came in 2022 when they became the first African and Arab nation to reach a World Cup semi-final.
During the Qatar edition, Morocco achieved their best-ever performance, shocking the world by finishing fourth.
They became the first African and Arab country to reach the semi-finals, knocking out major global powers like Spain and Portugal along the way.
