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Rabat – The Moroccan football team’s excellent performance in the 2018 World Cup qualifying games are still making international headlines. Nearly eight months after the qualifying games, FIFA said that the best defensive record came from Morocco.
On Friday, FIFA published a list of the teams that boasted the best records in the qualifying games for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Unsurprisingly, the Atlas Lions made the list of the “defensive heroes hoping for [a] Russian repeat” published by FIFA.
FIFA commended the Moroccan team’s near-miraculous defensive records that secured its ticket for the much-awaited World Cup tournament, which will kick off June 14.
FIFA has named Morocco’s Munir Mohand Mohamedi as one of the best goalkeepers in Africa. FIFA also ranked Moroccan football team captain Mehdi Benatia the best defender on the continent.
Moreover, Morocco emerged as the team with the best defense in the world. While it scored 11 goals in 6 games, the national team did not concede a single goal.
When the tournament begins on June 14, Morocco will play against its first game against Iran on June 15. Morocco’s second game will be against Portugal on June 20 and the third against Spain on June 25.
2018 is the fifth time Morocco qualified for the World Cup after Mexico 1970, Mexico 1986, United States 1994, and France 1998. In Mexico 1986, Morocco became the first African and Arab team to qualify to the second round of the World Cup after they came out as first in their group, comprised of England, Poland, and Portugal.
Morocco is determined to achieve good results in the 2018 World Cup. Herve Renard, coach of the Moroccan team, said in an interview with sports outlet Goal in April, that it will be very disappointing if his team leaves the World Cup in the first round of the competition.
In another interview with France 24, the Frenchman said that he will raise the Moroccan flag as hard as he can during the tournament and commended the “magnificent” Atlas Lions members, especially Benatia.
Renard is set to unveil the final list of Moroccan players who will take part in the tournament in the early days of June.
The team will also play a set of friendly games before going to Russia. The three friendlies will be against Ukraine, Slovakia, and Estonia.
The Atlas Lions will play against Ukraine on May 31 at the Geneva stadium in Switzerland. The second friendly match will be against Slovakia on June 4, and the final friendly game will be against Estonia on June 9.
