Morocco started their campaign with a defeat from Cameroon and captain Mohamed Yakki could not help but cry.
1 set to 3 was how it ended for Morocco in their opening match of the Men’s U21 African Nations Championship. Captain, Mohamed Yakki did not take this defeat lightly when burst into tears. His colleagues were there to comfort him. The younger player most probably believed that there was an equal chance for his side to win.
The country has suspended sports activities in a bid to put a stop to the spread of COVID-19 so this could explain the team’s performance, however would not come as an excuse. Nevertheless, Morocco head coach Moujoud Ismail expressed satisfaction toward his team saying, “The performance of my team was heroic, despite the loss, we have very good individuals. I’d like to thank the players and the technical staff for their effort in the Covid-19 situation, after a complete year without any activity.”
Morocco only managed to win set 2 in a close 25-23 score but Cameroon had the 1st, 3rd and last set to win the match. Despite the victory, Cameroon head coach Litouang Albert expected a better win mentioned that the team’s performance faded in the 2nd set allowing Morocco to capitalize on that opportunity to win the set.
In other games of day one, the host Egypt made a statement after defeating Congo 3-0. At the end of day one of the competitions, the Moroccans sit in 3rd place meaning they have their work cut if they want to represent Africa at the 2021 FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship. Egypt is the favourite at the top followed by Cameroon and Congo at the bottom fo the table.
