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Tough draw for top-ranked Morocco
Posted: Thursday January 20, 2000 03:32 PM
RABAT (Reuters) -- Morocco, Africa's top-ranked team after the 1998 World Cup, has no room for error in the first round of the 2000 African Nations Cup finals. With hosts Nigeria and North African rivals Tunisia also chasing one of only two Group D berths in the last eight, the slightest slip could prove fatal. "We know it's a hard challenge for us with great teams such as Nigeria, Tunisia and Congo sharing our group," French-born coach Henri Michel told Reuters. Michel said his prime aim is to stay alive in the group. "We hope that once we qualify for the second round, the draw will be kinder to us than it was in the first round," he added. The Atlas Lions, as the team is known, are keen to erase memories of the 1998 Nations Cup in Burkina Faso, when they were among the favorites for the title. In the event, South Africa knocked them out in the quarterfinals. The Moroccan team perked up and managed to restore some lost pride during the World Cup finals in France later that year. It drew against Norway, lost to Brazil and with a convincing 3-0 victory over Scotland, dreamed briefly of a place in the second round -- a feat they achieved in 1986. The hopes proved short-lived, when Norway squeezed through in their place thanks to a controversial penalty against Brazil a couple of minutes from the final whistle. World soccer's governing body FIFA, however, was on hand with a consolation prize -- the top African slot in its world rankings. Morocco has won the Nations Cup only once, in Ethiopia in 1976, when the tournament was played on a round-robin basis. It qualified easily for this year's finals but their results since then have been mixed. After the 1998 failure in Burkina Faso, Michel pointed to shortcomings in front of goal. Captain Noureddine Naybet blamed lack of preparation for the defeat at the hands of South Africa, only his side's third in 31 matches. This time, Michel is pinning his hopes on a mix of flair and experience. The rising stars include Adil Ramzi from Dutch club Willem II while the experience will come from veteran defender Naybet, playmaker Mustapha Hadji and top-scorer Salaheddine Bassir.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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