Haaland's star dims against Morocco's defense.

English media outlets have widely praised the defensive performance of the Moroccan national team during their friendly match against Norway, as the "Atlas Lions" successfully imposed tight marking on Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, one of the world's top scorers.

Reports confirmed that the Manchester City star experienced one of his toughest matches in recent years, as he only touched the ball 4 times during the 72 minutes he spent on the pitch, which is his lowest rate since 2019, reflecting the great success of the defensive strategy employed by the Moroccan team.

Although the friendly match ended in a draw (1-1) after a late goal scored by Martin Ødegaard, the Moroccan national team emerged with important technical gains, most notably their ability to neutralize one of the most dangerous strikers in global football.

The defensive performance of Achraf Hakimi's teammates sent a strong message ahead of the 2026 World Cup, as the "Atlas Lions" prepare to kick off their campaign with a tough match against the Brazilian national team, amidst ambitions to continue making history following the exceptional achievement in the "2022 World Cup."