Morocco's head coach made no secret of his delight with his players' performance on Friday evening at the Mohammed V Sports Complex in Casablanca, in the third round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. He stressed that his players had executed many of the instructions the technical staff worked to instil in training, particularly the continuous pressing, the attacking intensity and the presence inside the penalty area.
The plan, Wahbi explained afterwards, was to start strongly and impose a fast tempo from the opening whistle. That meant denying Niger any chance to catch their breath or organise their defensive lines, especially against a side that likes to sit back behind a defensive bloc.
Speaking in comments reported by the Moroccan website "Hespress", the coach said: "We wanted to start with great intensity, and to be fierce in pressing, with a constant presence in the counter-press and exploiting every attack."
He added that the staff had worked hard in preparation on these aspects, flooding attacking areas with more players and sharpening the speed of the transition from defence to attack. All of it showed in the opening exchanges.
Morocco refused to be dragged into a slow game that would have let Niger dictate. The instructions were clear: take the initiative, raise the tempo and press the ball carrier the moment possession was lost, hunting it back as quickly as possible.
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A disallowed goal that disrupted the calculations
Those instructions quickly became dominance on the pitch. Yasser Zabiri opened the scoring in the fourth minute, finishing a pass from Brahim Diaz, and Achraf Hakimi doubled the lead in the 27th minute to hand the hosts an early cushion.
Then came the turning point. The referee disallowed what would have been a third Moroccan goal, a decision that left Wahbi astonished and, he felt, knocked the tempo off course and handed Niger a way back in.
His players carry part of the blame, the coach admitted, for the dip in control that followed. Sloppy mistakes let Niger pull one back through Mohammed Abdul Rahman in the 41st minute.
The Atlas Lions responded fast. Hakimi struck his second and Morocco's third in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, settling nerves and sending his side in 3-1 up at the break.
That third goal was crucial, Wahbi stressed, because it let his players seize back control and start the second half more comfortably, without abandoning the hunger for more goals.
A Moroccan five-goal haul and an attacking message to rivals
After the interval, Morocco handled the game with greater calm, balancing their defensive duties against the appetite for more goals. The relentless first-half pressure had already worn down Niger's rearguard.
Youssef En-Nesyri had an earlier effort chalked off for offside, but the striker found the net again on 77 minutes for the fourth. Ayoub El Kaabi then completed the rout in the 90th minute, sealing a 5-1 win.
Delighted with how the victory came about, Wahbi praised his players' enthusiasm and their eagerness to apply the technical ideas. The team, he said, had delivered exactly what the staff wanted: attacking thrust, pressing and speed in winning the ball back.
The aim, he said, was "a beautiful victory with three points, a good performance, intensity and desire", and he pointed to the many positive signs he had long wanted to see on the pitch.
Wahbi identifies what the Atlas Lions lack despite the five-goal haul
Five goals did not convince him the job was done. Wahbi insisted the team still needs to sharpen certain tactical details, chief among them coping with opponents who press high and finding answers against sides that pack their defensive lines and stay compact.
His attacking approach, Wahbi explained, sometimes demands taking risks, which forces the players to strike a balance between pushing into the opponent's territory and holding their defensive shape once possession slips away.
Those attacking choices, the coach said, are also about entertaining Moroccan supporters. His players wanted to enjoy their football and please the fans, while firing a clear warning to rivals: beating Morocco on home soil will be no easy task.
The night held a special milestone for goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who won his 100th international cap for Morocco as the Atlas Lions tightened their grip at the top of Group One.
Morocco maintains a perfect record ahead of the return clash
In the group standings, Morocco moved to nine points and a perfect record of three straight wins, having already beaten Gabon and Lesotho 2-0 in both matches.
Gabon sit second on six points and Niger third on three, leaving Morocco out in front on their own and a step closer to booking their place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Morocco and Niger meet again next Tuesday at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, in the fourth round of qualifying. There, Wahbi will look to confirm the attacking progress his players showed, extend the winning run and iron out the errors from the first clash.
Between the Casablanca rout and the Rabat rematch, Wahbi's message is clear. Morocco want a fierce attacking identity, one that is not content with possession but presses, wins the ball back and manufactures chances, all in the service of building a stronger, more effective Atlas Lions.
