At last, Morocco have arrived at the tournament they are hosting. For four games they had played scratchy, crabbed football. Finally, in a spiky, ill-tempered quarter-final, there was something more like the Morocco that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup two years ago. If the game wasn’t fluent, that was largely Cameroon’s doing as they spoiled and delayed and sought treatment for injuries. But the hosts, for the most part, retained their cool, protecting a lead earned with verve in the first half with maturity in the second.
In previous games, Morocco had looked tense, limbs leadened by the expectation of a country that last won the Cup of Nations 50 years ago and that has spent a vast amount on football-related infrastructure as it prepares to co-host the 2030 World Cup. The coach, Walid Regragui, was even booed in the last-16 victory over Tanzania, his football deemed overly cautious despite a record of only four defeats in his 46 games as national coach before this quarter-final. “I always say that we are a family,” said Regragui. “Even if many people don’t believe in us or in me … that’s OK. We play for the country and for the supporters who want to see Morocco at the top.”
Images from the respective dressing rooms showed Morocco pensive and focused while Cameroon sang and danced. But once the game had begun, there was none of the anxiety that had previously characterised their play. Fuelled by an extremely noisy crowd in the magnificent Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah, they pressed ferociously from the off, winning a series of set plays as Cameroon did whatever they could to break the flow of the game. Regragui described it as their best first half since the friendly win over Brazil in October. Ayoub El Kaabi got to Morocco’s sixth corner of the game and headed down towards the back post where Brahim Díaz nudged in his fifth goal of the tournament.
Another set play brought the second with 16 minutes remaining, Ismael Saibari slamming in an angled shot after a free-kick had dropped to him at the back post.
Cameroon, in obvious contrast to the hosts, arrived at the tournament with less expectation than perhaps ever before, given a chaotic buildup in which two rival coaches each submitted squad lists to CAF. In the end, as Samuel Eto’o, the president of the federation, won his battle with the sports ministry, his candidate David Pagou prevailed. Pagou, a 56-year-old experienced in the Cameroonian league, has proved a punchy and drily amusing figure, his delivery in press conferences as direct as the play of his young and highly motivated side.
They have performed far better in this tournament than most had anticipated, their speed and coherence justifying a selection policy that culled many of the older players. But here they looked, if not overawed by the occasion, then certainly overwhelmed early on by the pace and aggression of Morocco. The suspicion is most teams in this competition would be. Regragui started the same line-up as had begun against Tanzania, a 4-3-3 that gives the wide forwards, Díaz and Ez Abde, more freedom. Familiarity, perhaps, brought fluency; certainly they appear a more mobile side without Sofyan Amrabat.
The Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida, who took charge of the final in Côte d’Ivoire two years ago, was confirmed as the referee for the game only on Thursday after the Moroccan football federation protested against the appointment of the Egyptian Amin Omar. Cameroon were furious at the late change, and were upset with a number of Beida’s decisions, but he wasn’t the reason Cameroon lost. Pagour refused to blame him, speaking only of “challenging” circumstances.
For those countries who have qualified for the World Cup, a Cup of Nations six months before the main event is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s a great opportunity for fine-tuning in a competitive environment. On the other, as demonstrated by the case of Sami Trabelsi, sacked by Tunisia after last week’s exit to Mali, it only takes a couple of poor performances in competitive games for the goodwill generated in qualifying to be forgotten.
Given his record, it seems absurd that Regragui should be under pressure but, if Morocco do not win the Cup of Nations, there’s a very good chance he will be replaced before the World Cup, perhaps by Tarik Sektioui, who led what was effectively a B-team to glory in the Arab Cup in December.
Will they win it? Morocco could probably still do with a little more goal threat, but this was a tight victory very different from the narrow win over Tanzania in the last round. This was less about nerves than about getting a lead and then holding a dangerous opponent at arm’s length. The way they pressed in the first half then sat off in the second, two wholly different approaches, was hugely impressive. They looked potential champions at last.
