Jesse Marsch, the head coach of the Canadian national team, confirmed that his team played a great match against Morocco, one of the strongest teams in the tournament, but lacked the necessary quality in the final third, which decided the result in favor of the opponent.
The Moroccan team qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup after defeating Canada 3-0 in the round of 16.
Marsch said after the match: "They created slightly more chances than us, but the problem wasn't in raising the pace of play or enthusiasm. The difference was that they have greater quality in the final third, while we lacked the ability to make a difference in crucial moments."
He added: "In terms of the plan and style of play, and the way the players believed in themselves and faced a team that hasn't lost for a long time, I think we were the better team in the first half and even at the start of the second half."
He continued: "Just one moment made the score 1-0. In the first half, the 11 players performed excellently, and we were unlucky not to take the lead. After that, small details decided the match."
The Canadian coach concluded: "But what I want to say is that our fans were lucky to have a team that plays with this character, attacks the opponent without fear, and fights until the end."
Morocco defeated Canada, one of the host countries along with the USA and Mexico, to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the second consecutive time.
The Moroccan team will meet the winner of the France vs. Paraguay match in the quarter-finals.
Morocco became the first African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals twice in a row.
Morocco's three goals were scored by Azzedine Ounahi with two goals, and one goal by Sofiane Rahimi in injury time.
