“The Cubs” in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.. Will the “Lions” achievement be repeated?
Following in the footsteps of the "Atlas Lions", the young men of the Moroccan national team seem determined to make history during their participation in the Junior World Cup competitions currently being held in Indonesia.
In an unprecedented achievement, the Moroccan under-17 national team succeeded in reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup after defeating the Iranian national team on penalty kicks (4-1).
The only Arab representative in the World Cup reached the finals of the world championship organized in Indonesia after finishing second in the African Cup hosted by Algeria last May.
The Moroccan junior national team is scheduled to meet its counterpart, the Malian national team, in the World Cup quarter-finals next Saturday in the Indonesian city of Surakarta.
A historic achievement
Those who follow Moroccan football praised the level demonstrated by the Moroccan national team during this tournament, as many of them agreed that the achievements of the “Cubes” are a reason for reassurance about the future of Moroccan football.
Moroccan sports journalist Idriss Tzarni says that the national team's reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup currently being held in Indonesia is evidence of the tactical and intellectual maturity of the players under the leadership of coach Said Chiba, and it is a confirmation of the position that Moroccan football now occupies, continentally or internationally.
Al-Tazarni said in a statement to “Sky News Arabia” that “the Moroccan boys’ national team is made up of a list that includes the most prominent talents that caught attention months ago during the African Cup finals hosted by Algeria, during which they came in second place, and they also used to shine in their teams, whether inside or outside Morocco.”
The speaker believes that overcoming the obstacle of the Malian team in the quarter-finals will not be an easy task, and that this confrontation is a real test of the strength of this young team, which has, to this day, marked a distinguished journey in the World Cup in Indonesia.
A new generation of players
Many Moroccans reacted on social media to the remarkable appearance of the Moroccan Cubs during their match against their Iranian counterpart, especially Lions goalkeeper Taha Benguzel, who contributed greatly to Morocco’s qualification to the quarter-finals after saving two penalty kicks during the penalty shootout against Iran.
Goalkeeper Taha Bengouzil and an important number of Moroccan national team players belong to the Mohammed VI Football Academy, which is a reference model in the field of training players and honing talents, and has been credited with forming a new generation of players who contributed to the achievement of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Sports analyst and critic Mohamed Magoudi confirms that Morocco currently has a generation of players who combine talent and professional academic training provided by the Mohammed VI Football Academy for all age groups.
Al-Maghoudi continues in a statement to Sky News Arabia that Moroccan clubs, especially the major ones, are invited today to be inspired by the successful experience of the Mohammed VI Academy in the field of training players within clubs.
In addition to the formation of players locally, Al-Maghoudi believes that the honorable image presented by the Moroccan team in the Qatar 2022 World Cup has contributed to motivating and encouraging the increasing Moroccan talent outside the country in order to carry the national jersey.
In the footsteps of the "Atlas Lions"
The brilliance of the Atlas Cubs brought to mind the historical epic created by the first team during the Qatar 2022 World Cup, when the “Lions” managed to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup as the first African and Arab team to achieve this achievement.
Idris Tzarni confirmed that the achievement of the Atlas Lions during the Qatar World Cup is a turning point in Moroccan football and is the result of great efforts made by the state and the Football Association in order to develop national football, thanks to which they were able to achieve impressive results at the continental and international levels in recent years, which constituted an incentive for... The Cubs are aiming to achieve another historic achievement in the 2023 World Cup in Indonesia for under 17 years.
The sports journalist continues that, in addition to the moral incentive that Achraf Hakimi’s teammates gave to the new generation, the training and preparation that the “Cubes” received within the Mohammed VI Academy contributed to highlighting their talents and instilling in them the desire to compete for the most expensive international cups.
Al-Tazarni believes that what the Moroccan national team achieved in the U-17 World Cup reflects the success of the strategy developed by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation to promote sports in general, and football in particular, in Morocco.
