Moroccan press charmed by Morocco's World Cup performance against Norway

The Moroccan press unanimously praised the outstanding performance of the Moroccan national team which drew 2-2 Wednesday with Norway in their World Cup group A opener.

All the Dailies stressed in their front-pages that the Moroccans tenaciously battled against the athletic Norwegian players, considered favorites by the international book-makers, MAP reported.

The draw Norway snatched on "stupid" mistakes by the defense "will have a bitter taste," the papers said.

The dailies, which highly rated all the players of the national team, agreed that the match against Norway showed that the Moroccans are able to take up the challenge and that Morocco has no reason to fear "high-caliber" opponents.

The Moroccan press echoed several international dailies which largely commented on the brilliant Moroccan performance in the opening match.

Although given as an outsider in the group of giants, Morocco sent a clear sign to its group A challengers, the English press wrote.

The Moroccan team gratified the world with a festival of actions and colors in Montpellier, the "Daily Mail" wrote.

The Pan-African news agency "Pana," for its part, said that while the whole world was expecting Brazil to please the football fans, Morocco emerged as the most admirable team, developing a vivid game with outstanding technical touches.

Although they were tied twice by the Norwegians, the Moroccans produced the best football of the opening day of the 16th edition of the Jules Rimet Cup, Pana added.

Pana, which urged the Moroccans to stay confident to be able to conquer the Brazilians and Scottish teams, underlined that the coming match against Brazil is full of promise as both Morocco and Brazil know how to practice a high-quality football.

Mustapha Hadji's anthology goal was largely commented on by the national and international press, which saw the Moroccan striker as one of the most talented players in the ongoing World Cup.

Hadji's goal, scored in the first half, was so splendid that it looked like an ad image, Italian "la Gazzetta dello Sport" wrote.

Several international dailies echoed the Italian paper in hailing the two Moroccan goals skillfully netted by Hadji and Abdeljalil Hadda (Camacho), while describing Norway's two equalizers as "stolen" goals.