Former Nigerian international Juwon Oshaniwa was full of praise for Morocco following their impressive performances at the ongoing FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada during an exclusive interview with Footy-Africa.
Morocco secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Scotland in their second Group-stage match, with Ismael Saibari capitalising on a sloppy defending to score inside the opening two minutes.
“Morocco has done very well. It was a difficult game, but football is not played outside the pitch or on paper; it is played on the pitch,” he exclusively told Footy-Africa.
“It’s something you have to go out there and prove. You need to show desire, demonstrate how much you want it, and put in the effort to secure the maximum three points, which they managed to do.”
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The Africa Cup of Nations champions, currently ranked sixth in the world, were unable to extend their advantage as Scotland improved after the early setback and pushed for an equaliser.
Oshaniwa, who helped Nigeria reach the knockout stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, also praised Scotland for their spirited display.
“Anyone coming to the World Cup knows there are no jokes and no push-over teams,” he added.
“Scotland, they are a good side, they beat Haiti in their opening game, but Morocco are also a fantastic team. They know what they are doing, what they want, and how to approach games. They are technically gifted and can go far in this tournament.”
Morocco are now level on points with Brazil in the group and need at least a draw against bottom-placed Haiti to secure qualification for the knockout stage.
Oshaniwa, a former Hearts of Scotland defender, believes the Atlas Lions must remain focused against the Haitians, who are yet to register a point or score a goal in the competition.
“I think that if they stick to what they do best, considering the calibre of talent in that squad, they should be able to secure the maximum three points.”
“However, that does not mean it will be rosy or a walk in the park for them. They will still have to go out there and fight for those three points if they want to progress to the next round without headache,” he concluded.
