Morocco's World Cup Injury Crisis
Morocco Hit by Double Injury Scare to Key Players Ahead of Brazil World Cup Opener.
Anonymous
Morocco’s preparations for the 2026 World Cup were hit by a double injury scare during their 1-1 friendly against Norway in New York, with both Noussair Mazraoui and Abde Ezzalzouli forced off. Mazraoui left after about half an hour with physical discomfort and was replaced by Youssef Belammari, while Ezzalzouli was also substituted at halftime after suffering a painful knee injury from a collision. Morocco’s coaching staff are now waiting on medical tests to determine the severity of both problems ahead of their opening Group C match against Brazil at MetLife Stadium next Saturday, with their tournament plans potentially reshaped depending on the results. The match itself saw Brahim Diaz give Morocco an early lead before Martin Odegaard equalized for Scotland’s group opponents, leaving the primary focus on the injuries rather than the result. Additional context from other reports underscores how little time Morocco have to recover, with the injuries affecting their usual lineup and depth for the start of the campaign.
Key Points
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Morocco’s left-back Noussair Mazraoui left the pitch after a clash with Norway striker Alexander Sorloth at about the 29th minute, with the outlet noting the problem was felt as “physical discomfort.”
2
Abde Ezzalzouli’s knee injury came after a collision in which an opponent fell onto his right leg “inside the area,” and he was replaced at halftime by Soufiane Rahimi.
3
Morocco’s fixture schedule is tightly packed: their World Cup opener vs Brazil is set for 13 June (23:00 BST), followed by Scotland on 19 June (23:00 BST), leaving only a brief recovery window after the Norway friendly.
4
Scotland’s preparations were also disrupted: Steve Clarke cancelled Scotland’s planned training game vs Norway Monday after picking up “a couple of niggles” in training last week.
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One report drew parallels with Brazil’s own injury concerns before the tournament, saying Brazil had to rule out full-back Wesley after an injury against Egypt, with the replacement described as “rumoured” to be the incoming Manchester United signing Ederson.
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