“We expect a hard-fought game against Panama. A victory in this second meeting means qualification for us. On the other hand, for Panama, it is the last chance,” Dguig told the press on Wednesday in Tashkent, during the last training session of the Atlas Lions, before this match of the second day of group E.
“We are ready for all scenarios and we want to qualify from the second match, without having to take out our calculators,” said the coach of the national team, who will have the challenge of managing the end of the 2024 World Cup for Othmane. El Idrissi, injured, and the withdrawal of Soufiane Bourite, at least for the next match, also due to an injury.
“Unfortunately, for Othmane El Idrissi the World Cup ends there. For Soufiane Bourite, we try not to take any risks, so that he can continue the journey with us,” regretted Dguig.
“We will be playing with a reduced roster, which will prevent us from maintaining the intensity of the game from start to finish. But we remain ready for all possibilities,” he assured.
For his part, Soufiane El Mesrar, player of the national team, affirmed that the match against Panama is very important, “since it would allow us to qualify for the second round”.
“The Panamanian selection would not be ready to give up another match and will play against us like in a final,” he warned, adding: “We are aware of this and the coach has worked on these details.”
“We will try to win the game with as few mistakes as possible,” promised the player.
Concerning the injuries of his teammates, El Mesrar regretted the withdrawal of an important player, who is Othmane El Idrissi, assuring that “we have confidence in the players present to win this match and then recover Soufiane Bourite for the last meeting of the group ”.
On the first day, last Monday in Tashkent, Morocco beat Tajikistan 4-2, while Portugal dominated Panama (10-1). Thursday, for the second day, Morocco faces Panama (1:30 p.m. GMT+1), while Portugal plays against Tajikistan (4:00 p.m. GMT+1).
2024-10-07 23:04:14