Stars head coach: We deserved defeat against Morocco

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s national football team (Taifa Stars) head coach, Hemed "Morocco" Suleiman, has said that the 2-0 defeat to Morocco was deserved.

The match, played at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda, saw Morocco take the lead in the 51st minute through Nayef Aguerd, a defender for the Spanish La Liga side Real Sociedad. Morocco’s second goal came in the 58th minute through a penalty scored by Real Madrid attacking midfielder Ibrahima Diaz.

The penalty was awarded after Taifa Stars defender Ibrahim Abdullah Hamad, alias Bacca, handled the ball in the danger zone.

The match referee, Alhadi Mahamat from Chad, did not hesitate to award Morocco the penalty. The result leaves Morocco at the top of Group E with 15 points from five matches, putting them one step closer to next year’s World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

According to the qualification format, the nine group winners will qualify directly for the tournament.

"The match was tough. We knew we were up against Morocco, one of the toughest teams in Africa and the world. We had a good plan to manage their pressure as much as possible, and I thank my players for doing what we agreed upon. I think they used their skills and experience to punish us, and they succeeded. It was a tough match, but I thank my players for playing according to the instructions," said Morocco.

For Taifa Stars’ World Cup hopes to remain alive, the suspension of Congo Brazzaville, imposed by the world football governing body (FIFA), must be lifted. This would make the number of remaining matches for both Taifa Stars and Morocco four each.

After that, Taifa Stars will need to win all of its remaining four matches and hope that Morocco loses all of its remaining matches in order to secure a spot in the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

However, if Congo Brazzaville's suspension is not lifted and remains disqualified, Taifa Stars will not qualify. Even if Morocco is stripped of the three points it earned against Congo Brazzaville, it will still have 12 points, which can be matched by Taifa Stars if they win their two remaining matches.

Morocco will still advance, even if they lose all their remaining matches, based on the rule of the best results in the two matches against Tanzania.

 In the first encounter between the two teams, held in Dar es Salaam, Taifa Stars lost 2-0, and they suffered the same scoreline two days ago.

If Taifa Stars fails to qualify directly as the group leader, it will need to win all of its remaining matches in order to try and make it through the intercontinental playoff matches.

However, this also appears to be a tall order, as there are currently seven teams, each with more than 10 points, holding second place in their groups.