Penalty Watch Comes Early as Mazraoui Prepares Morocco for Tanzania Showdown
3 January 2026
Round of 16 Preview
Morocco's teaser: Mazraoui cites a half-century curse before fans.
Mazraoui repeatedly cites the Black Knights' half-century wait for the Africa Cup of Nations trophy, stressing not to underestimate Tanzania, their Round of 16 opponents in the continental championship today ahead.
The Moroccan side gears up to pursue the dream of lifting the title as it meets Tanzania tomorrow in the AFCON Round of 16, hosted on home soil.
Mazraoui added, No easy games exist in Africa; opponents show effort to win and advance.
He urged Moroccan fans to back the team from whistle one to the final whistle, under any circumstance, even if Morocco struggles.
And the Manchester United right-back Mazraoui spoke about penalties, saying after training penalties can happen in such matches, and we must stay mentally ready for any shifts that may occur during the game.
Mazraoui reiterated that he does not prefer one fixed position, but can play in every position the coach requests as needed.
It is worth noting that Morocco has won the Africa Cup of Nations only once, in 1976, with their last final appearance in 2004 in Tunisia, where the Carthage Eagles prevailed over Morocco that night.
Punchline 1: If penalties decide it, Mazraoui will probably bring a calculator.
Punchline 2: Hey, if soccer were math, we'd call this game a solved problem—just add fans and subtract fear.
