Dominant Morocco thrash UAE to reach final

Doha, Qatar: Morocco booked their place in the FIFA Arab Cup final in style, securing a dominant 3 0 win over the United Arab Emirates at the Khalifa...

Doha, Qatar: Morocco booked their place in the FIFA Arab Cup final in style, securing a dominant 3-0 win over the United Arab Emirates at the Khalifa International Stadium yesterday.

Morocco struck at key moments, with Karim El Berkaoui opening the scoring in the 28th minute. Ashraf El Mahdioui doubled the lead late on 83 minutes, before Abderrazak Hamdallah sealed the victory in stoppage time, scoring in the second minute of added time.

The victory earned them a place in the FIFA Arab Cup final for a second time, following their heroics in 2012 when they lifted the title, beating Libya in a shootout.

Morocco head coach Tariq Sektioui said they expected tougher resistance from the strong UAE side.

“It was a tough match, but we controlled the first half and created the better chances. We expected a stronger reaction from the UAE in the second half, and that happened, but our players stayed calm and managed the game well,” Sektioui said in a post-match press conference.