After close to three weeks of action, 31 matches, 77 goals and more than one million spectators, Morocco were crowned FIFA Arab Cup™ kings as they took down Jordan 3-2 in extra-time of a final fit for the ages.
The Atlas scored within the first five minutes of their opening match and didn’t lose a single game at the tournament. Indeed, they only trailed for 20 minutes all tournament.
Clinical in front of goal, watertight at the back, disciplined and controlled in all phases of the game, they were worthy winners of the regional showpiece.
It was little surprise then when the nation collected two of the four post-tournament prizes, with the outstanding Mohamed Hrimat claiming adidas Golden Ball honours and goalkeeper El Mahdi Benabid winning the adidas Golden Glove.
Hrimat, in particular, had a wonderful tournament for a side that conceded just three goals. One of those was an own goal inside the first hour of their opening fixture while the other two came in a frenetic final set against the rare sight of a Lusail downpour.
The deeper of the two central midfielders deployed by head coach Tarik Sektioui, the long-serving AS FAR star was sometimes an extra number at the back in buildup and at others a box-crashing attacking threat.
Meanwhile, the Nashama may have been beaten in the final but they didn’t depart without having one of their stars recognised individually for a wonderful tournament. In a remarkable scoring display, where he grabbed twice as many goals as the next most prolific player, Jordan’s Ali Olwan was named the adidas Golden Boot winner, while Syria took home the FIFA Fair Play Award.
FIFA Arab Cup Tournament Overview
Champions: Morocco
Runners-up: Jordan
Third-place: Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
adidas Golden Ball: Mohamed Hrimat (Morocco)
adidas Golden Boot: Ali Olwan (Jordan)
adidas Golden Glove: El Mahdi Benabid (Morocco)
FIFA Fair Play Award: Syria
