Walid Abdullah
The Gulf champion, the first national football team, presented a disciplined tactical performance against its Moroccan counterpart in the confrontation that brought the two teams together on Thursday at Moulay Abdullah Stadium in the city of Rabat, the Kingdom of Morocco, which ended with the hosts winning with a fatal goal in the 94th minute, depriving Al-Ahmar of leaving with a tie result, at the very least, after a distinguished defensive performance that continued until the final seconds.
From the start of the match, it became clear that the technical staff of the national team, led by Croatian coach Dragan Talajic, relied on a strict defensive organization to limit the danger of the Moroccan team, which entered the match in high spirits after a series of 14 consecutive victories. “Al-Ahmar” succeeded in implementing a solid defensive plan that closed the spaces in front of Morocco’s keys to play, especially on the flanks, which are among the most prominent offensive weapons of the Moroccan national team.
The “Atlas Lions” dominated the first half with a possession rate exceeding 70%, but despite that field advantage, they were unable to penetrate the defensive structure of our national team, which showed high concentration and a distinguished presence of mind, as the players valiantly confronted repeated Moroccan attempts, amid clear brilliance of the defense line and goalkeeper.
In the second half, our national team tried to move from defense to attack, and initiated several attempts, but the lack of speed in transition and offensive support, in addition to poor accuracy in passing, made these attempts lose their effectiveness, so that the real danger remained limited.
The match continued to lead to a scoreless draw, until the Moroccan team succeeded in scoring the winning goal in the 94th minute, taking advantage of a decline in concentration in just one moment after discipline that lasted throughout the minutes of the match.
Despite losing the result, the national team made important gains on the technical and mental levels, as it demonstrated a high ability to keep up with one of the strongest African teams, and proved that it has a cohesive defensive system capable of standing against the big teams.
It can be said that “Red” provided a lesson in defensive organization and tactical discipline, but on the other hand, it needs to develop the offensive side, especially in quick transitions and creating opportunities, to complete the picture and become more balanced in the coming times.
Our national team is awaiting a friendly confrontation against the Egyptian “second” team on October 12, before returning to Manama.
