outland
12-10-2009, 21:41
(Magharebia) A loss to Gabon on Saturday (October 10th) dashed Morocco's hopes of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. Their African Cup of Nations chances now hang by a thread.
Morocco lost spectacularly to Gabon on Saturday (October 10th), playing sluggishly and even scoring an own goal in a 1-3 defeat. The Atlas Lions are now out of the running for the 2010 World Cup and fans are furious.
During the match in the Gabonese capital of Libreville, the Atlas Lions played poorly. Though most of their main players were on the pitch, the team appeared to be lacking enthusiasm, harmony and concentration.
The first half began with a very weak tempo, and passes were confined to the midfield. Meanwhile, Gabon used long passes to take advantage of the height of their players.
To the shock of Morocco fans, defender Hicham Mahdoufi scored an own goal on the stroke of half-time, giving Gabon a 1-0 lead
Morocco coach Hassan Moumen substituted striker Mounir Hamdaoui with Hicham Aboucherouane at the start of the second half. Fans hoped that the fielding of their favourite star would have an effect on the performance of their team, but it did not.
Gabon striker Eric Mouloungui would soon boost Gabon's lead with another goal, and his team-mate Daniel Cousin, the star of the match, made it 3-0 in the 71st minute.
Morocco winger Adel Taarabt scored the side's lone goal in the last moments of the match.
"It's a great disappointment for us," Moumen said after the match. "We were attaching too much hope to the results of this match to defend our chances and to stay in the race for the African Cup of Nations and World Cup finals.
""However, we were surprised by the very bad performance of the national team; the players on whom we were depending to make the desired difference just let us down," the coach told MAP. "Meanwhile, the other players were lost on the field; they were confused and lacked concentration.
""The match exposed the weaknesses in the team, and this can't be understood. However, I now believe it's about time we formed a new team," added Moumen. "The task is not at all easy, and the proof is that we have to start a huge effort to revive Moroccan football.
""These statements show the naivet of the coach, who should have apologized to 30 million Moroccans and then submitted his resignation," said one fan, Aboud. "The officials should show some respect for the Moroccan people's knowledge of football.
""Nothing worked out," said Taarabt, the only scorer on the Moroccan side. "It's a tough thing, but this is how football is. The Gabonese team was in desperate need of the three points, exactly like us. They were more focused than we were, and they were even luckier.
""We did our best, but the circumstances were stronger than us. Neither the condition of the field nor the heat and humidity played in our favour against the local team, who weren't any better than us," said fan Mehdi Benatia.
Yacin, another Moroccan fan, was disappointed by the match, saying: "What a shame! Our players have to learn how to defend the national [colours]. Let's wait for the appearance of another generation of younger players who have the fighting spirit.
"His friend Mohammed added, "We've been disqualified. Now [Morocco] has to change the strategy adopted in the field of football and create a lot of training centres."
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Morocco lost spectacularly to Gabon on Saturday (October 10th), playing sluggishly and even scoring an own goal in a 1-3 defeat. The Atlas Lions are now out of the running for the 2010 World Cup and fans are furious.
During the match in the Gabonese capital of Libreville, the Atlas Lions played poorly. Though most of their main players were on the pitch, the team appeared to be lacking enthusiasm, harmony and concentration.
The first half began with a very weak tempo, and passes were confined to the midfield. Meanwhile, Gabon used long passes to take advantage of the height of their players.
To the shock of Morocco fans, defender Hicham Mahdoufi scored an own goal on the stroke of half-time, giving Gabon a 1-0 lead
Morocco coach Hassan Moumen substituted striker Mounir Hamdaoui with Hicham Aboucherouane at the start of the second half. Fans hoped that the fielding of their favourite star would have an effect on the performance of their team, but it did not.
Gabon striker Eric Mouloungui would soon boost Gabon's lead with another goal, and his team-mate Daniel Cousin, the star of the match, made it 3-0 in the 71st minute.
Morocco winger Adel Taarabt scored the side's lone goal in the last moments of the match.
"It's a great disappointment for us," Moumen said after the match. "We were attaching too much hope to the results of this match to defend our chances and to stay in the race for the African Cup of Nations and World Cup finals.
""However, we were surprised by the very bad performance of the national team; the players on whom we were depending to make the desired difference just let us down," the coach told MAP. "Meanwhile, the other players were lost on the field; they were confused and lacked concentration.
""The match exposed the weaknesses in the team, and this can't be understood. However, I now believe it's about time we formed a new team," added Moumen. "The task is not at all easy, and the proof is that we have to start a huge effort to revive Moroccan football.
""These statements show the naivet of the coach, who should have apologized to 30 million Moroccans and then submitted his resignation," said one fan, Aboud. "The officials should show some respect for the Moroccan people's knowledge of football.
""Nothing worked out," said Taarabt, the only scorer on the Moroccan side. "It's a tough thing, but this is how football is. The Gabonese team was in desperate need of the three points, exactly like us. They were more focused than we were, and they were even luckier.
""We did our best, but the circumstances were stronger than us. Neither the condition of the field nor the heat and humidity played in our favour against the local team, who weren't any better than us," said fan Mehdi Benatia.
Yacin, another Moroccan fan, was disappointed by the match, saying: "What a shame! Our players have to learn how to defend the national [colours]. Let's wait for the appearance of another generation of younger players who have the fighting spirit.
"His friend Mohammed added, "We've been disqualified. Now [Morocco] has to change the strategy adopted in the field of football and create a lot of training centres."
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