Co-hosts crashed out in a game of two halves at Houston after Morocco scored three second-half goals
Canada coach Jesse Marsch has said his team’s performance at this World Cup should be the benchmark for their performances in the future, despite their 3-0 defeat to Morocco in the last 16.
The manager said his side had been the better team even though their tournament came to an end.
“We totally controlled the match,” Marsch said. “We were the ones more likely to win the game, but goals change games so they could sit back. But overall in the match we were better than them. Before we came here if you’d said we’d be last 16 we’d have been satisfied. And if you’d said we were going to play like that … you’d think we were going to win the match.”
Meanwhile, Morocco’s head coach Mohamed Ouahbi rejected that assessment after his side secured a comfortable victory to reach the quarter-finals.
“It takes some nerve to say that when you lose 3-0,” Ouahbi said, but nevertheless praised Canada’s “intensity” and said Morocco had altered their approach to bypass the high press by playing more direct passes behind the defence.
It was a game of two halves in Houston as Canada controlled much of the first period and limited Morocco to only one touch inside their penalty area. But the game changed early in the second half when Azzedine Ounahi opened the scoring, before Morocco added two more goals to seal victory.
The position of the world’s best national footballing teams is looking scantier than ever. Can Canada be one of the teams to occupy a spot there by the next World Cup cycle? Marsch said his team’s display showed the level Canada are capable of reaching consistently.
“I challenged the players to understand that we can play like this all the time,” Marsch said. “Against the best teams in the world we can be better on the day. Can we hold that standard? Can we build that into the youth? Can we build a real Canadian DNA?”
Canada were without Alphonso Davies, who was ruled out by hamstring discomfort despite a scan showing no significant injury. The Bayern Munich defender, whose only appearance at the tournament came as a substitute against South Africa in the previous round, was eager to feature and tested the injury again at half-time before the medical staff decided not to take the risk.
Marsch also said a few unfortunate moments proved decisive, questioning the foul that led to Morocco’s opening goal and describing the mistake that preceded the second as “a bad giveaway”.
“I don’t think the foul was necessary,” Marsch said. “But in terms of making the country proud the players couldn’t have done more.”
