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Rabat – French football icon Thierry Henry believes the Netherlands practically handed the Atlas Lions their historic victory, claiming Dutch manager Ronald Koeman exposed his own panic by switching to a five-defense system that signaled absolute fear of Morocco.
Speaking as a pundit on Fox Sports, Henry argued that by taking off a midfielder to protect their slim 1-0 lead, the Dutch gave up control of the game and invited relentless pressure from the Atlas Lions.
The former Barcelona striker and Arsenal legend believes this negative move backfired completely, giving Morocco the psychological edge they needed to push for their dramatic equalizer and ultimate victory.
“When you take out a midfielder to add a defender, you are quietly admitting to the world that you are terrified of Morocco,” Henry explained.
“This is permissible, of course. If you win, you are right, and if you lose, you are wrong.” The football legend admitted he did not expect the Dutch team to abandon their traditional attacking style just to cope with the Moroccan threat.
“I was truly surprised because the Netherlands don’t usually play that way, but clearly, Koeman saw things differently.”
Morocco refused to back down after Cody Gakpo’s second-half opener, relentlessly pushing against a retreating Dutch defense until Issa Diop scored a dramatic 91st-minute equalizer to force extra time.
In the penalty shootout, star goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made a crucial save to turn the tide before Ismael Saibari scored the final spot-kick to seal an incredible 3-2 victory for Morocco.
With this historic victory, the Atlas Lions are moving on to the Round of 16, where they will face tournament co-hosts Canada this Saturday in Houston.
