Portugal U17 Reflects on Morocco Victory: 'We Knew We'd Face African Champions and Strong Players'

Portugal U17 coach Bino Maçães affirmed that his team delivered one of their best performances at the World Cup in Qatar following their significant victory over Morocco. He highlighted that "collective play and tactical discipline" were key to their superiority in the match.

Speaking to Portuguese channel "Canal 11" after the game, Maçães stated: "We knew Morocco was a well-organized and good team, so it was important for us to be cautious defensively from the start. We began the match perfectly and scored early, which gave us the confidence to control the tempo and exploit the spaces that appeared as time went on."

He added: "The players delivered a fantastic performance, especially in the first half, but in the second half, we needed to manage the result better. Despite the big win, we must continue to work and improve because the tournament is still long."

The coach also emphasized that Portugal's playing philosophy would not change: "We believe in our style based on ball possession and dictating the tempo against the opponent. We don't play reactively; instead, we always seek to take the initiative, and this approach has proven effective in the previous two matches."

Meanwhile, Portugal U17 player José Neto, who was one of the stars of the match, said that the encounter was not easy despite the wide margin of victory: "We knew we would face the African champions, a team with strong players who fight for every ball. We entered the match with great focus from the opening minutes and tried to finish things early so as not to give them the confidence to come back."

He explained: "We don't play for individual statistics, but for the group. When everyone works in the same direction, the result becomes merely a reflection of the collective effort."

João Aragão, for his part, affirmed that the Portuguese team is beginning to feel increased confidence in their ability to go far in the tournament. He said: "We faced a technically good team, but we were the better side in terms of organization and control. We applied what we had trained for and succeeded in converting chances into goals. Now we must think about the next match against Japan with the same seriousness and focus."

Portugal secured a significant victory over Morocco, raising their tally to six points and officially qualifying for the next round. Meanwhile, the Moroccan national team will need to achieve a positive result in the final matchday to keep their hopes of qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams alive.