Morocco believe in World Cup ambitions but disappointed after finishing group runners-up

Morocco have the potential to become world champions, having reached the semi-finals in Qatar four years ago, coach Mohamed Ouahbi said after they booked their place in the last 32 of the tournament on Wednesday.

"Morocco has entered a whole new dimension, and we're part of a new momentum where we actually need to believe we can take the title," he told reporters after the 4-2 win over Haiti in their last group fixture.

"How do we reach this objective? Well, again, as I said before, we need to be 100% committed. Today, we have the best ingredients that are needed to become the best nation, and we believe we can do it; the players believe in it, the same for the staff," he added.

Ouahbi said they were disappointed to miss out on top place in their group, but that it was no surprise they had to struggle against already-eliminated Haiti.

The coach said before the match they were hoping to edge Brazil out of first place in Group C, but in the end, their 4-2 win over Haiti was not enough as they finished runners-up on goal difference after Brazil beat Scotland 3-0 in Miami.

"We were looking for first spot in the group, but Haiti had nothing to lose and played a good transition game, so it was not an easy game for us," Ouahbi said.

"It was a game where we put up some very good stats and had a lot of chances, and I'm very happy with all the players. We were on top of it throughout the game.

"But it was no surprise that Haiti would bring passion. They were always going to go all out and played with more freedom because they had already been eliminated."

As runners-up, they now play on Monday in Monterrey against the winner of Group F, which will be one of Japan, the Netherlands or Sweden.

"I don't have any preference, and there is not much I can do about it anyway," added the coach.

"They are three teams with three different styles, and we'll just have to be ready. This is the World Cup, and we came here for a reason, with a lot of ambition, and in the end, you have to play what is put in front of you."

(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Atlanta; Editing by Christian Radnedge)