Rabat – Morocco’s U17 coach Nabil Baha praised his players’ fighting spirit after their hard-earned qualification against the United States in the knockout stage of the U17 World Cup, held on Pitch 7 of the Aspire Zone in Doha on Friday.
Speaking to the press after the 1–1 draw and 4–3 penalty shootout win, Baha said the squad displayed “a winning mindset” throughout the match. “We saw another face of our team in terms of grinta, attacking intensity, defensive recovery, use of space, and the desire to give everything,” he emphasized.
Although Morocco conceded first, Baha noted that the players never lost belief. “Despite conceding a goal, we were confident we could come back, and that’s exactly what the players did,” he said.
Baha explained that the team had anticipated a tough encounter: “We knew the match would be difficult against the United States, and we prepared accordingly.” He added that strong mental preparation after the loss to Portugal proved decisive: “The psychological work done by the staff after the defeat against Portugal had its impact. The players showed more confidence and a more positive mindset.”
When the match went to penalties, Baha said the staff trusted their goalkeeper: “When we reached the penalty shootout, we knew we could count on Bellaarouch, who has proven himself in the past.” He added that “as usual, he did a great job and allowed us to reach the next round.”
The coach also paid tribute to the Moroccan supporters present in Doha, describing them as “exceptional” and saying their presence “helped us a lot by putting pressure on the American players during the penalty shootout.”
Looking ahead to the Round of 16 clash against Mali, Baha acknowledged the challenge: “We know our next opponent well. We played them and won the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in this category, but this is a different competition with a different mindset.” The team is aiming for another victory, he noted, stressing: “The match against Mali will be difficult, but we will look for the win to stay in this competition.”
Man of the Match Chouaïb Bellaarouch echoed his coach’s pride, saying the players showed resilience throughout the contest. “The whole group demonstrated fighting spirit and determination during the match,” he said, adding that the qualification was “the result of collective work from all components of the national team.”
Bellaarouch also expects a new challenge against Mali: “The match against Mali will be different. We will face a different team with another objective and another state of mind.”
