Hakim Ziyech elected man of the match, Yassine Bounou explains his absence

In the Morocco-Belgium post-match press conference, Hakim Ziyech was voted player of the match, thanks to his fighting spirit, his decisive passes and several goal attempts. For his part, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, initially holder for this match, explained the reasons for his sudden absence.

The 29-year-old wanted to dedicate this distinction to the whole team, emphasizing that the victory was a collective work.

“Honestly I don’t think I deserve (this title of man of the match) because I believe that we achieved thanks to a common effort, we had it together”, declared the wearer of the jersey number 7, after the victory of the Atlas Lions on a 2 goal to 0 against Belgium, adding that for him, this trophy is for everyone, and all the people behind us”.

Like several players, the Moroccan international wanted to thank the Moroccan public who supported them from the start to the end of the match.

“After 60-70 minutes some were tired and when we scored that goal they cheered us on and it gave us more power than we thought we had. They really pushed and helped us, it was a big boost, ”concluded the Chelsea midfielder.

While he was a starter, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou finally slipped away just before the start of the game, leaving his team-mate Munir El Kajoui to take his place, without this being counted as a change.

Yassine Bounou had been suffering from pain since the last match against Croatia, and despite taking medication, the Moroccan international did not feel able to play for this meeting due to dizziness and a feeling of loss of balance which came forward during the singing of the national anthem.

He immediately informed coach Walis Regragui who called Munir El Kajoui for reinforcement. The latter had already experienced the world in 2018.

“They took me inside to the hospital and I didn’t follow the game until the end, where I could see the goals,” he said late in the game. .

“I had an injury since the match with Croatia, I did my best to ensure this match, I took medication but before the match I felt dizzy and we took the decision not to spoil a change. I went out to let my friend play the match and thank God everything went well,” Bounou said after Morocco’s victory over Belgium.