Ouahbi delivers positive reaction after Morocco defeat Gabon in AFCON qualifier

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mazraoui-noussair/2ajowGAq/"]Noussair Mazraoui[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rahimi-soufiane/OYfFre1D/"]Soufiane Rahimi[/a] scored to help [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IDKYO3R8/"]Morocco[/a] start their campaign [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/gabon-YJL8W78U/morocco-IDKYO3R8/?mid=O8Jrs1Ki"]on a positive note[/a]. The Atlas Lions went ahead in the 36th minute when Mazraoui broke the deadlock to give the hosts a half-time advantage.[/p][p]Rahimi scored the second goal in the 84th minute as Morocco joined [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/niger/Eevd7UNo/"]Niger[/a] on three points following the latter’s 2-1 victory over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lesotho/fTM4XmgO/"]Lesotho[/a] in the group’s other opening fixture.[/p][h2]Morocco won the way ‘we wanted’[/h2][p][b]“I think the assessment is positive. We won in the way we wanted and we controlled the match,” [/b]Ouahbi told reporters after the game as quoted by Mountakhab.[/p][p]Ouahbi, however, took issue with his forward line for not scoring from the many chances they created, and demanded more from the front line ahead of their matchday two.[/p][p][b]“A player who has had two chances and missed them cannot leave the match feeling happy. He should not be satisfied with himself,”[/b] added Ouahbi.[/p][p]On the performance of Abdellah Ouazane, who came on in the second half, Ouahbi said: “Ouazane came on at a time when we were not performing well, but he showed his personality.[/p][p][b]“When he is under pressure, it does not affect him. He is an extremely talented player.”[/b][/p][embed guid="fcb05ca4-1a67-4061-910b-ae0bb3a22dff" url="https://x.com/EnMaroc/status/2103590408429469742" social-type="twitter" /][p]Morocco will now face Lesotho on September 29th in Bloemfontein, South Africa. They are also scheduled to face [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ghana/nNBjHale/"]Ghana[/a] in an international friendly on October 4th at the Grand Stade de Tanger.[/p][p]Morocco has won the AFCON two times in its history, first in 1976 and later awarded the 2025 title following a CAF ruling.[/p][h2]‘Morocco are at very high level’[/h2][p]Meanwhile, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/gabon/YJL8W78U/"]Gabon[/a] coach Sebastien Migne conceded defeat while praising Morocco’s performance that he said was on a very high level.[/p][p][b]“I was not surprised by Morocco’s level or their style of play. It was exactly what we expected from them. It is a very high level, and we are far from that,” [/b]Migne told Morocco News.[/p][p][b]“Perhaps I was a little surprised to see so many young players in the starting lineup, but they are Under-20 world champions, and we know that there is a large pool of talent.”[/b][/p][p]Gabon will shift their focus to their matchday two against Niger on Tuesday, September 29th. Niger launched their campaign with a 2-1 victory against Lesotho.[/p][image alt="Dennis Mabuka" id="009ee08a-c012-41bf-bdae-acba9770ea19" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="f3e72653-5672-4f89-b150-b1a8fca95459" original-width="1200" original-height="381" /]