Morocco and Haiti face each other in the final Group C match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Thursday. Morocco go into the game needing to settle their knockout-round arithmetic, while for Haiti it is the last game of a short tournament.
Morocco come into the match with four points — a 1-1 draw against Brazil followed by a 1-0 win over Scotland. Haiti, meanwhile, are already out after two defeats: 3-0 to Brazil and 1-0 to Scotland. Having nothing left to lose, they can face Morocco with a certain freedom.
Morocco impressed in their last World Cup, and their performance against Brazil in this edition already signalled they have come back stronger. For Haiti, it will be a tough examination. Morocco’s forward Ismail Saibari could be the biggest threat to their defence: he scored in the 21st minute against Brazil to put Morocco ahead, and against Scotland he found the net in the 70th minute to settle the match. Morocco also set a record against Scotland, completing 601 passes across the 90 minutes in a display of total dominance. They will be looking to impose themselves against Haiti as well.
Haiti, though, showed fight even in defeat. They take the field against Morocco with the mindset of a team that has already lost everything and therefore has nothing to fear. Their goal will be to take at least a point home from the final match. It will be the first football meeting between Morocco and Haiti at any level — their first encounter on the world stage. Whether Morocco maintain their momentum or Haiti spring a final surprise is the question that remains to be answered.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report