Ouahbi says half-time tweaks helped Morocco overcome 'impressive' Canada

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ounahi-azzedine/reDF5hxm/"]Azzedine Ounahi[/a]’s second-half double and a late [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rahimi-soufiane/OYfFre1D/"]Soufiane Rahimi[/a] goal sent the Atlas Lions through to the quarter-finals for a second straight tournament following [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/canada-x4toKORL/morocco-IDKYO3R8/?mid=pUYfr7u3"]an emphatic 3-0 victory.[/a][/p][p]The Atlas Lions made history as Africa’s first semi-finalists at Qatar 2022, and after shrugging off a slow start with a strong second-half showing, they have booked a quarter-final spot and will now face [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/france/QkGeVG1n/"]France[/a], who defeated [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/paraguay/YaNlqp6j/"]Paraguay[/a] 1-0 in Saturday's other Round of 16 clash.[/p][p]Morocco were far from comfortable in the first half, but they improved after the break and finished strongly to extend their historic campaign.[/p][h2]Morocco profited from 'spaces'[/h2][p][b]"It was no surprise for us, but in the second half we were able to profit from the space they left us - that was the key,"[/b] Ouahbi told reporters after the game as quoted by FIFA.com.[/p][p]"We are very happy. It’s a World Cup match, and these are difficult games with teams playing for their lives. We reacted very well in the second half in the second balls and the duels.[/p][p][b]"I have to recognise that Canada were impressive - they played a top match."[/b][/p][p]On what tactical changes he made at the start of the second half, he said:[b] "We had to correct a few things at half-time after consulting our video analysts. After that, we had much more control of the ball.[/b][/p][embed guid="2e468a3c-c43d-4822-b872-bbd31e8b8a71" url="https://x.com/Flashscorecom/status/2073485091183939948" social-type="twitter" /][p]"All of this was thanks to the vision of the entire staff. We discuss different ideas and apply the best ones. We have an excellent staff, and today we showed that."[/p][p]Ouahbi added: [b]"I won’t reveal the details of what we did because we still have more matches to play. They had areas where they pressed very aggressively, and we had to avoid them.[/b][/p][p]"They also left spaces, so we worked on that by relying on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bono-bounou-yassine/ne0lafKc/"]Yassine Bounou[/a] and our midfield players.[/p][p][b]"As I always tell the players, we are playing in the World Cup, so we will go through difficult moments. It is not normal to play every match comfortably.[/b][/p][p]"When we are not at our best, we must stay united. In those moments, we remember who we are playing for, and that is exactly what the players showed during the match."[/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /][p]Morocco midfielder Ounahi hailed Canada’s performance, especially in the first half when they dominated proceedings but were not able to turn their chances into goals.[/p][h2]Canada caused Morocco problems[/h2][p]Canada began the match with energy and belief, backed by the confidence of a team that had already made history by winning World Cup matches for the first time.[/p][image alt="Ounahi was the star of the show for Morocco" id="1a424caa-fe5a-4f25-9d5b-26d6dd44209f" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform (photo by IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Maria Lysaker)" guid="8541a5f2-ba3f-4be4-80e2-7790f0ba59b2" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p][b]"It was a tough match. We were against a team that caused us problems, especially in the first half of the match," [/b]said Ounahi.[/p][p][b]"But thanks to God, we were able to find solutions, and we saw that the players who came on as substitutes also made the difference."[/b][/p][p]He added: "I am so proud of this group. There are guys who start the match, and there are others who come on and add a lot to the game.[/p][p][b]"We are not only 11 players on the pitch. We are a group of 26 players, and everyone works for one goal."[/b][/p][p]On looking ahead to the remaining matches, he responded: "This match will help us grow. We’ve seen that no game is easy in this competition, but the most important thing is that we’re through."[/p][p]Morocco will now shift focus to their quarter-final fixture [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/france-QkGeVG1n/morocco-IDKYO3R8/?mid=jJ5yWPhU"]against France at Boston Stadium on July 9th[/a].[/p][image alt="Dennis Mabuka" id="009ee08a-c012-41bf-bdae-acba9770ea19" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="d9373320-56a9-426d-a041-eaf033f2eec2" original-width="1200" original-height="381" /]