In the mixed area of the World Cup stadium, the players of Morocco and Croatia, individually and collectively - after a negative tie between them - entered the sixth round of the "Qatar 2022" World Cup, smiling comfortably, as if they were satisfied with the outcome of the match.
This analysis, with satisfaction with the result, needed confirmation from them, and for this reason Al-Jazeera Net asked one question to the players from the elected team after the end of their first match in the World Cup in Qatar.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Al Jazeera Sports • Aljazeera Sports (@aljazeera.sports)
Did you lose 2 points or win 1 point?
What is remarkable about the answers of the players of both teams is that they came in the same context.
We start with the "Atlas Lions", who played a good game, especially in the first half, and were the closest to scoring.
Belgian Standard de Liege player Salim Amalallah says that the Moroccan national team played a good match, and the players tried to snatch the 3 points by scoring the winning goal, but the strength of the Croatian team prevented that.
He added, "We did not lose two points or win a point, but the tie is fair for the two teams, and each team deserves a point in this strong group."
As for the French club Angers striker, Sofiane Boufal, he was not decisive with the answer, and said that he “could not be certain about this issue,” and referred it to the fans and experts.
Because "the national team players did what they could to score the goal and come out with a victory, but they did not succeed."
He continued, "We are looking forward to the next two matches against Canada and Belgium. The group is complex and difficult, and he must play for every point and every goal."
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Al Jazeera Sports • Aljazeera Sports (@aljazeera.sports)
In turn, Wydad Casablanca player Yahya Atiyatallah - who participated as a substitute for the injured Naseer Mazraoui - expressed his happiness and pride that he played the first match for his country in the Qatar World Cup.
He added, "We deserved more than a draw, but in the end it was a positive result, and we lacked success until we scored the goal and won, and we will work to develop our level in the next two matches against Canada and Belgium."
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Al Jazeera Sports • Aljazeera Sports (@aljazeera.sports)
He concluded that coach Walid Rekragui "motivated them at halftime, asking them to play aggressively and fight for every ball."
For his part, the captain of the Moroccan national team, Roman Sayes, considered that the match was difficult, and the Croatian national team is the runner-up of the world champions, and it was a stubborn opponent and attacked us fiercely in some periods of the match.
He continued, "We did not rely on defense and launched attacks on the Croatian goal, and we were careful in dealing with the match, and for this I think that the result of the tie is fair for the two teams who missed many opportunities."
He went on to say that they are turning the page on this match, and are looking forward to the next two matches against Belgium and Canada.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Al Jazeera Sports • Aljazeera Sports (@aljazeera.sports)
On the Croatian side, the situation was no different, and everyone was asserting that both sides deserved to win, and that the point was fair for both sides.
And Stuttgart player Borna Souza believes that they are "not satisfied with the result, but the match was strong, harsh and close, and Morocco defended fiercely and made it difficult for us to create opportunities, and in these matches you have to score from these opportunities in order to ensure victory."
"We had to create more spaces, but the Moroccan team was not easy to get," he continued.
For his part, French Rennes midfielder Lovro Magir said, "We lost two points and won a point, because we played a good match, and so did the Moroccan national team, and we were seeking to win, and we created several chances, especially at the end of the first half, but we were missing the net."
Regarding the possibility of repeating Croatia's achievement by qualifying for the 2018 World Cup final in Russia, Magir said, "We think about each match individually, and we try to go step by step, and for this we must - first - qualify for the second round, and then think about the opponent, because we are talking about 16 teams that are the strongest in the world." .
🇲🇦🇭🇷
The summit of Morocco and Croatia ends with a negative tie
⏪ Watch the match summary # World_Cup_Qatar_2022 |
#Qatar_2022 |
#MoroccoCroatia #Qatar2022 #WorldCup2022 |
#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/Pseul60BTW
- beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) November 23, 2022
Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren expressed his appreciation for the Moroccan national team, and that they were not shocked by the performance presented by the Arab team.
He said, "When we look at the teams in which the players are active, you know what awaits you, and the match was tough for us, and there were periods in the match when we did not provide the required performance."
He added, "The sharing of points between the two teams is fair, because neither of them deserves to lose. We created some chances and missed the final touch in ending the attacks, and the two sides sought to win the match with all their might, but the result was a draw."