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Super Eagles legend, Sunday Oliseh, has said Morocco could have defeated Brazil 3–1 if they had players like Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen or Ademola Lookman in their team.
Oliseh stated this on Sunday in a comment shared on his X handle after Morocco held five-time World Cup title champions Brazil 1-1 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group C on Saturday.
Morocco opened the scoring in the 21st minute thanks to Ismael Saibari, who raced on to a through pass from Brahim Diaz before lobbing Alisson in goal for Brazil.
But in the 32nd minute Vinicius Junior equalised for Brazil as he volleyed in a superb strike into the far corner.
Reacting to the draw, Oliseh praised Morocco for their tactical balance in both in the forward line and in defence.
Also Read: 2026 World Cup: Scotland Will Make Life Difficult For Morocco, Brazil –McGinn
“Impressive performance by this Moroccan side, defensively and offensively well structured. Had this team had ‘Victor Osimhen or Ademola Lookman’ like players versus Brazil, they could have won by 3 goals to 1 at worst,” he wrote.
The 1994 AFCON title winner posited that Brazil avoided defeat thanks to Vinicius Junior and Raphinha.
“Brazil looking deceptive and thank God they had Vinicius Jr and Raphinha. I loved the belief and evolution from the Moroccans,” he added.
The Atlas Lions would hope to go one step further by reaching the final at this year’s World Cup after becoming the first African team to get to the semifinals.
Up next for Morocco is a clash with Group C leader Scotland on June 19.
By James Agberebi
26 Comments
And Nigeria with osimhen in their team couldn’t beat a morocco team that had no osimhen in their team at the last afcon…..
Hahahaha
I don’t know why some of you think there is something special about that kid osimhen….
There is absolutely nothing special!!
He is not as talented as you guys think….
Its just hype, hype and hype!!!
If he is that very good he would helped his country qualify for this same tournament…
But dude is just average!!!
Abegi! Make we hear word!
We had Osimhen and Lookman, and still failed to beat DRC.
With Osimhen and Lookman, we failed to qualify from a group that should have been easy.
With Osimhen and Lookman, countries like Lesotho, Rwanda, SA, Benin and Zimbabwe gave us a torrid time, and stopped us from topping the group.
With Osimhen and Lookman, we also failed to qualify for the 2022 world cup.
How then can we be sure that Osimhen and Lookman would have made a difference for Morocco against Brazil? We can’t be sure!
So, while it is a given that Osimhen and Lookman are good players, they are not difference makers. The results are there for all to see. These 2 chaps are not the messiah, they are not super men. They are just players who can’t get results on their own. They need help from their team mates to succeed. All hands must be on deck.
That goal Saibari scored against Brazil, would Osimhen have scored it? I doubt it. Osimhen has a better pressing game than most strikers in the world, and is a handful, but his finishing could be a lot better. As for Lookman, it depends on which version you get. When he’s in the mood, he’s one of the best in the world. A real threat to the opposition. Problem is, he’s often not in the mood. And when he’s not in the mood, his impact on the game is as productive as attempting to cut wood with a kitchen knife.
Yes, they are both APOTY winners. But who that one help? We need results, and they have not delivered. Period.
This is why I’m so happy with the Unity Cup squad. That’s a squad that does not depend on any individuals. Players come into the pitch, and do the job as the coach instructed. This is the way forward. Never again should we rely on individuals. Yes, Osimhen and Lookman are very important players, but if they are not available for any reason, I will not lose a second of sleep.
Having said all that, the lion share of the blame for failure goes to NFF Onigbese. The incompetence and corruption in the Glass House is the main reason we are where we are today. Perhaps with better admin, these two players would have done better in the qualifiers. We seem to get the best out of these two at Afcons, perhaps because the pitches are good, and the lodging and other facilities are ok. Besides, the nonpayment of bonuses must have dampened their morale. This obviously affected our prep for the DRC game with the players refusing to train just days before a crucial world cup playoff game!!!
If Morocco had NFF Onigbese as their admin, would they record the success they’ve had in recent years? Hehehehe, likely not. This world cup they are playing now, they likely would have failed to qualify for it, if they had NFF at the helm of their football. Their investment in football and competent admin is what has brought them the success they have today.
That strike before the DRC game was the greatest disservice albeit blessing in disguise Ndidi as captain led the national team into.
I dare say they effectively killed it off as a form of threat against NFF anymore.
I believe Chelle was shocked but the players will not try it again because they have real competition for places now and they’re officially in the twilight of their national team careers.
The only thing they can keep doing is to keep bribing NFF to elongate their national team appearances because 2 nations cups, one African nations league and the world cup 2030 will like to be one more try for them to redeem themselves (as moffi is afraid they’ll not be in reckoning then) and frankly, depending on players who “missed it” in their prime to outrank watchable and youthful teams right now is dejavu prime time loading.
One more afcon 2027 to win the elusive gold and most of them should really give way.
However, Nigeria players don’t know when to step out of the stage. It will be a problem
@Pompei, ur response does not dovetail with what Oliseh said. I watched the Brazil vs Morocco game last night and had exactly same impression. Morocco had a better Midfield and defense. Their problem was attack . No one to trouble and press the Brazilian defense in the mould of Osihmen, lookman or even Haland. I even betted with a friend that with the way Morocco is playing all they need now is a striker in the mould of Haland or Osihmen and they will be world champions. That said, U mentioned that Osihmen played the qualifiers but failed to qualify Nigeria. Honestly u seem to have a very short memory. Hv u forgotten that Osihmen did not play from the start due to injury? Against DR Congo did he complete the match? Osihmen’s impact on the pitch for the National team or club side cannot be over emphasize. He is the best striker in world football now. Pundits all over the world hv acknowledge it. Even John Jerry said in his analysis during the opening match. What u rightly said is the ineptitude of the NFF. Honestly they are the reason we didn’t qualify because they appointed an incompetent Finidi at a crucial time who threw away 5 out of 6points. Let’s hope for a better future with the steps Chelle is following.
When u talk too much, you end up uttering trash, like the same osimhen and lookman wasn’t alive while we failed to qualified for two consecutive WC.
442, you are wallowing in deep delusion. Stop deceiving yourself.
The reality, whether you like it or not, is that we’ve had Osimhen in the SE since 2018 or thereabouts.
This is 2026, and we’ve not qualified for any world cups. and have not won any Afcons.
Why? What is going on? Yes, NFF is mostly to blame for their incompetence and corruption, but it is not NFF on the pitch playing the matches.
The argument is not about Osimhen’s quality. We all know he’s one of the best in the world.
The argument is that Osimhen’s presence, and all his hard work and desire, has left us empty handed, especially when it comes to qualifying for world cups. It sounds harsh, yes, but it’s the truth!
You say Morocco do not have forwards in the mould of Osimhen and Lookman? That’s total rubbish.
So what about Diaz the real Madrid forward, or Saibari who scored against Brazil? They also have that exciting left winger Ezzalzouli. What of the all action attacking midfielder Ounahi, or the 18 yr old midfield gem Bouaddi? What of El Khannouss? These guys may not have the star status of Osimhen and Lookman, but look at what they’ve achieved as a team. They’ve been more successful than us in recent years, no doubt about that. They even made the semifinals at the last world cup.
You can argue that Osimhen and Lookman are better individually than these guys, but they are at the world cup, and we are not. How do you explain that? You go explain taya!
Yes, Osimhen and Lookman are world class forwards, but based on the results they have with Nigeria, I can’t agree that their presence would have helped Morocco to beat Brazil. In those tight, high stakes games, they have consistently fallen short. It is what it is.
I blamed NFF for our failure, but the fact is our players could have put that aside and played for the badge and the fans. Going on strike days before the DRC game was a crazy thing to do. The result is that they missed out on the chance to play at the world cup. Osimhen and Lokman were on the pitch in that all important game. Big players show up in big games. Ours did not show up. Period.
I will give appropriate praise when it is due, when it is earned, when I see tangible results. I won’t be cajoled into praising players when we have nothing to show.
You go to the market early in the morning to sell your wares.
When you return, your neighbour asks you, “how market today”?
You reply “it was good. It was profitable”.
Is it your reply that makes the day profitable? Is it your sentiment, or your belief? Or is it the money in your pocket or your bank account?
It is what you have to show at the end of the day that is your profit.
Osimhen has been in the SE for 8 yrs, Lookman for 5 yrs. They’ve won a Unity Cup, and 2 Afcon medals, one silver and one bronze. They’ve scored lots of goals and made lots of assists along the way. However, no Afcon trophy, and failed to qualify for the world cup back to back.
Is that good profit? Yes. Could it have been better? Yes, o yes!
Ideally, with these two talented players, we should have qualified for at least one world cup. Even if we fail to win the Afcon trophy, at least one world cup qualification should have been bagged.
Especially when you consider the quality of our group opponents. How did we fail to qualify for the 2026 mundial? How did we fail to win such an easy group? How?
We failed to qualify for 2 consecutive world cups. Let that sink in!
You are “wiked” by also adding loml of monkey post to the mix na lol.
Seriously speaking, third time lucky with most of the players who will be past their prime ahead of the 2030 world cup (when they are not sadio mane of Senegal for enduring longevity or Harry kane) when many African nations are going more youthful (civ is a typical example) will be illusory.
The last two international breaks including the unity cup showed we are moving away from Osimhen dependency after scoring in ALL THE 6 GAMES we played without him (Iran, Jordan, Zim and Jamaica, Poland and Portugal (if not for Chukwueze selfishness, we should have scored 2 goals against Portugal as we did in each of the previous 5 games)).
My heart tells me though NFF will like them both to remain till 2030 to grace the world cup they want to badly grace.
That in itself is like a booby trap. Other “old men” by then will likely want to still be part of the squad too because “what is sauce for the goose is….”
The next afcon is the perfect final opportunity to either extend their retirement time or end the day dream of trying again in 2028 afcon.
In a nutshell, next year should be their best proof of staying on or shipping out.
Bro, during the qualifiers, we not only couldn’t score without Osimhen, we couldn’t play without him!
The team was so dependent on Osimhen’s pressing game, that anytime he was off the pitch, it showed. Our opponents would breathe a sigh of relief and start attacking us, committing more men forward, because it was Osimhen that was pegging them back. Recall how DRC completely took over the game in Osimhen’s absence?
Thankfully, as you said, the team has now shown that they can play and score goals in Osimhen’s absence. Indeed, the team is stronger when he’s around, but we can’t afford to be so dependent on him or any individual.
Bros, ees like yuh guy are missed de point, de point ees noting about Osimhen or anybodi else, yes the Unity cup team is the best team we have for real, dat mush ees true but de main ting ees dat efen wit de old team or de new Unity Cup teem, the problem ees and have alway been Iwobi. Ees Iwobi wisch ees de weak link in Nigeria teem, widout Iwobi, de teem wii have be very stronger and wii continued to be stronger specialy wit de new playere from the Utility Cup teem. Dey mus remoof Iwobi Alex fron de Nigeria teem if dey har seriuos abt tings. Tanks
Hehehe, Yaishman, did Iwobi snatch your babe? Forgive the guy na.
Actually, Iwobi is not so good defensively. He doesn’t tackle like a traditional midfielder. However, he is very good at orchestrating our offensive moves. More than 50% of our attacks start from him. His line breaking passes at the last Afcon got him a lot of praise from pundits worldwide. E get why. So, Iwobi needs to work on the defensive side of his game., but he is a valuable member of the team. He is always among the first to come to camp, he never complains, even though NFF is owing him like 5 yrs bonuses, he just goes about his business. His commitment and work ethic is a fine example for the younger players.
Walahi the strike was just uncalled for
Maybe a bit of sacrifice and I was surprised bcos thinking okay i don’t believe these players really cherish playing at the world cup
And they don’t even realise how much we naija football lovers wish to see dem there
The biggest turn around was the match against Benin republic, if a team or a country needed 4 goals to keep hope alive and then one striker managed to score 3 from the 4 goals that is class.
The main reason i personally wouldn’t wanna blame some players during our failed qualifiers
Osimhen
Bassey
Fredrick
Onyeka atleast in my own opinion they showed great will.
Taiwo, I agree.
Osimhen and the other players you listed really tried for us. I will add Lookman to the list. However, look were we ended up! We failed to win an easy group, one of the easiest groups in the continent, and now we have to watch the likes of Curacao, Jordan, Iraq, Cape Verde, and other small countries playing at the world cup. Osimhen and Lookman are not at the world cup, but Sithole, Lyle Foster, Mokoena and the rest of the unripe banana bananas are there disgracing themselves and Africa. Can you imagine what Nigeria with Chelle as the coach would have done to Mexico? Mex for hear weeeeeen.
We have such a good squad with a decent coach, yet here we are watching the world cup on the telly!
NFF Onigbese must go!!!!!!!
Another country with good midfield and defence but poor attacking is Japan. Against the Netherlands – whom Nigerians like copying since Westerhof, they proved their worth. Unfortunately, for Japan it lacks a killer striker of which Nigeria has an abundance of talent.
Nigeria has attack and defence, but a lacklustre midfield both in comparison (to its attack and defence) and by international standards. Nigeria’s attack is in the world’s top 10, Nigeria’s defence is in the top 20, Nigeria’s midfield is top 50.
That is the problem because midfield strong teams dominate World Cup winning/finalist/semi finalist sides.
The msin problem of the Super Eagles is the midfield and recycling of underperforming players.
In my own estimation, based on statics, rhere are the WCQ players that should be retained .
GK. Nwabali (active), Okoye
DF: Aina, Semi, Bassey, Bruno
MF: Ndidi, Iwobi, Fisayo, Onyeka
ATT: OSi9, Lookman, Akor.
These set of players delivered consistently whenever they are on the field.
The Super Eagles need a minimum of 11 new players to keep the team competitive..
GKs, Okonkwo and a top local GK
Defence: Fredericks, Fernandez, Bekene
MF: Nnadi, Yusuf (more chance), Tijani, and a skillful midfielder
ATT: Femi Azeez, Zadok, and a new top 9
larry abi na barry or wat? yuh har very very fullish! Kai!
Nigerias! I sey whu do wuna like dis??
See dis wan hear, stii belief Iwobi shuld be retain in the Nigeria SE – It meant yuh knew notings abt footbal or yuh har tinking wit ur yash!
a agbero like yuh had no biznes in footbal tings. Robbish!
Super eagles best lineup in defence are;
Osayi-Samuel,Aina,Bassey & Frederick.
I will replace Fernandez with Nwaiwu in Central defence.
Aina to play as a left fullback henceforth. He will be deputised by Bruno Onyemaechi and Kenneth Igbokwe respectively.
On the right back,first choice is Bright Osayi-Samuel,he’ll be deputised by Abdullahi Bewene and Chibueze Oputa in that order.
Central defenders,Bassey,Ajayi,Frederick and Leonard Ngenge sums up the defence.
As at today,this is the best Nigerian defence setup.
Guys, just to be clear, Osimhen and Lookman are very important players for Nigeria.
Everyone knows this. However, the fact is we’ve had them for a while now, and we have precious little to show. No major trophies, 2 world cups missed. Apart from NFF nonsense, the other major reason for our failure is over dependence on individual talent. Our individual talent, though abundant, did not yield desired results unfortunately.
If they were special the way Maradona was special for Argentina in the 1986 and 1990 world cups, they could have used that to our advantage. They tried their best, but it was not enough.
Yes, Osimhen and Lookman tried their best, but it was not enough.
They are both very good, but they are not the best thing since sliced bread. This invincible status some fans are giving them is a disservice to us, because it lulls us into a very false sense of security!
The idea that we have an insurmountable advantage over our opponents anytime both players are on the pitch is a pipe dream, and has been thoroughly disproved severally by numerous results.
Now, if we had Osimhen and Lookman in a squad that has the desire and attitude displayed by the Unity Cup squad, I think our results might have been different, because they would have had a lot more help from their team mates. This for me is the silver lining after the storm.
We must emphasize the team above the individual. Team members must be ready to fight and sacrifice for each other. Fight for the badge and the fans.
This is what I’m advocating for.
Just thinking. Would we have played as committed as Cape Verde just did against Spain?
I don’t see them in the current crop of players nearing the twilight of their international careers
CV was unbelievable today. Like I said in a previous post, Nigeria needs to go and learn how to play low block from CV. The defending was so good, Spain, a whole Spain, could only create a handful of chances. Fantastic performance. Egypt also did great against Belgium. But CIV is the team that is really doing Africa proud at the moment. Let’s see what Senegal, Algeria, Ghana, and DRC can do.
Nigeria can’t defend to save their lives!
We’ve a glaring structural and tactical imbalance. We boast a world class attack,the quality in midfield and defence has noticeably declined.We rely on attacking firepower to outscore opponents,our defence line and goalkeeping are frequently prone to errors,which have cost us in crucial matches,unfortunately!
However,all that could all change with recent activities witnessed in their summer camps..
A few discoveries were made and if we continue in that trajectory and hopefully, a new NFF in September,we might have a much improved super eagles, good enough to win the next Afcon and qualify for the 2030 World Cup respectively…
As long as we continue to get stuck that very very wiked combo of Ndidi Iwobi lead midfield, we will continue to be absence in big games and when it matter most.
We made it through semis of last two afcon because of quality defense and quality strikers.
If those two continue to chair our midfield we should not expect anything outstanding.
What a wiked midfield combo and even wiked nff.
Wike, you are wiked. Very wiked. Extremely wicked.
Repent from your wiked ways, hahahaha!
My bro, you have a point there. Iwobi and Ndidi are good players. But together, they make a weak, wiked midfield. That is the truth.
I don’t think Chelle will make that mistake of playing only those 2 in midfield ever again.
In fact, a 2 man midfield of Iwobi and anybody, even Kante or Caicedo, will still be weak and wiked.
The key going forward is to use Iwobinho the right way. You can’t put a square peg in a round hole and expect things to run smoothly.
The best way to use Iwobi is to play him close to the opponent’s final third. That is where he can inflict damage to the max.
@parara aka digital – Okay na, eet ees fery clear, yuh har fery fery wiked but dat fery fery wiked combo of Ndidi Iwobi ees efen most wikeder. thank
Sly, to answer your question, me too, I don’t see that attitude and commitment in our so called “Senior men”. But I see it in the Unity Cup squad. Those guys fight and work hard for each other.
And they have quality in the final third. That’s a great team in the making.