Football
Ed Dove, Special to ESPN 6y

Did Munir's 13 minutes cost Morocco at the World Cup?

Morocco have certainly won many admirers at this World Cup, even if they became the first side eliminated from the tournament when they were defeated 1-0 by Portugal at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on Wednesday.

That loss, coupled with their shock opening defeat by Iran means that the Atlas Lions cannot advance to the Last 16, capping off a miserable week in which they also lost the World Cup 2026 bid.

However, while elimination was felt painfully by the many Moroccan fans in attendance in Moscow - and viscerally in the form of a tearful Nabil Dirar at full-time - there are many positives for this side to take from the tournament.

They largely outplayed Portugal - European champions no less - for much of Wednesday's encounter, and ended the contest with more possession and more attempts than their opponents.

While they were twice beaten from set pieces, their defence held firm in open play against an attack (and Cristiano Ronaldo) that netted three times against Spain in their previous fixture, while there was a certain elegance and composure about Morocco's play in their second game.

Finally, after the underwhelming showing against Iran, the North Africans had begun to express themselves and rely upon the qualities that had made them - in the eyes of some observers - one of the sides to watch in Russia.

However, what ultimately came back to haunt Herve Renard's side, was the absence of a mobile, competent goalscorer.

The Frenchman found something of a solution during the qualifiers in the form of Khalid Boutaib, who netted four goals during the campaign.

However, for all of the 31-year-old's physical prowess and qualities as a target man, age isn't on his side, and he was always going to struggle to cause trouble in behind and to unsettle Portugal's rugged, experienced centre-backs.

Such was Renard's lack of conviction in Boutaib, that he fast-tracked Ayoub El Kaabi into a starting role in Morocco's opener, despite the forward never having played for the senior national side before March.

El Kaabi's inclusion came on the back of his record-breaking exploits at the African Nations Championship, and while he's a fine forward who's capable of forging a fine career for himself in Europe, it was telling that he rose to such a key role so quickly.

Was there really no Moroccan forward - based in Europe or beyond - who could have led the line more effectively for the Atlas Lions against Portugal and, particularly, in their opener against Iran?

In fact, there might have been, and you suspect Renard knows it too.

Ahead of the World Cup, the Moroccan federation made a last-gasp attempt to try and push through Munir El Haddadi's nationality switch in order to make him available for the World Cup.

The 22-year-old, fresh off the back of an encouraging campaign in La Liga for Alaves, in which he scored 10 and contributed six assists, was denied the chance to feature in Russia after a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Munir, who is of Moroccan descent, represented Spain in a 2016 European Championship qualifier under Vicente Del Bosque back in 2014.

He was introduced for Koke in the 77th minute of a 5-1 rout of Macedonia, and never since played a competitive game for La Roja.

In fact, his chances of making a return to the Spanish national side any time soon appear slim, with the youngster failing to live up to his early promise at Barcelona and duly being shipped out to Alaves on loan.

That briefest of cameos back when the forward was 19 looks to have cost him the chance of an international career with Morocco, and it also denied - perhaps - the Atlas Lions the prospect of adding the missing piece to their jigsaw.

There are no guarantees, of course, that Munir would have changed the course of either of Morocco's opening World Cup games, particularly after beginning his integration into the national side so late ahead of the tournament.

However, the prospect of what might have been is tantalising.

Since the New Year, the attacker has turned in a series of outstanding performances in La Liga, notably netting a double in the 4-0 victory over Las Palmas, as well as stealing the show in a 3-1 home game against Athletic Bilbao.

These kind of performances in these kind of contests set Munir apart as a difference-maker in a type of context which is beyond what Boutaib or El Kaabi have ever demonstrated.

He also won more fouls - 114 - than any other player in La Liga last season, a demonstration of just how much his quick feet and intelligent movement can destabilise defences.

Would the sluggish backlines of Iran and Portugal have been able to cope with the forward's twinkle toes? Surely he wouldn't have been neutralised quite as El Kaabi and Boutaib were.

With his mobility, his technical prowess and his finishing ability, there's immense potential that he could have dovetailed superbly with the likes of Hakim Ziyech and Younes Belhanda and given Morocco the cutting edge they ultimately lacked in Russia.

It sounds trite to say that a quality goalscorer can be the difference between a great team and a poor team, but if Morocco had had someone of the quality of Munir - a player who was 13 minutes away from being available for selection - they may still be in the running for the Round of 16 heading into their final game against Spain.

^ Back to Top ^