Ouahbi hails Morocco's second-half response

Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi praised his side's composure and second-half improvement after a clinical 3-0 victory over Canada secured a place in the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday.

Having been second best for long spells of the opening half, Morocco raised their level after the break, with Azzedine Ounahi scoring twice before substitute Soufiane Rahimi added a third in stoppage time.

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Ouahbi admitted his team had been tested by a fearless Canadian side but felt Morocco's ability to exploit space after the interval proved decisive.

"It's a World Cup match and these are difficult games with teams playing for their lives," Ouahbi said.

"Canada were impressive. They played a top match. 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."

The victory keeps alive Morocco's hopes of another deep World Cup run after reaching the semifinals in 2022.

For Canada, the defeat brought an end to the country's best-ever World Cup campaign. Despite the scoreline, head coach Jesse Marsch took immense pride in the way his players approached the tournament.

"What a privilege our fans have had to root on a team like this -- one that goes after the game and does not play defensive," Marsch said.

Rather than dwelling on the result, the American coach viewed the experience as another step in Canada's development on the world stage.

"We have to be in these situations more and more and find ways to succeed, and we have to build from that."

Marsch insisted he would not trade his team for any other despite Morocco's emphatic victory.

"As good as Morocco are, I'd rather be us. I'm really proud of our guys. They are hurting right now, but I couldn't be prouder."

Morocco will face either France or Paraguay in the quarterfinals, while Canada bow out as the first of the three co-hosts to be eliminated, with Marsch believing the tournament has laid the foundation for future success.