By my promise: surpassing the Netherlands boosts confidence.

Ayoub Bouaddi, a player for the Moroccan national football team, expressed his great happiness at the "Atlas Lions" qualifying for the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, after eliminating the Netherlands in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw, confirming that the team deserved to advance thanks to their confidence in their style of play and their ability to hold on until the last moments.

Bouaddi said in statements to beIN Sports after the match: "I think in terms of emotions and pressure, this is the best match of my career. Facing the Netherlands in a Moroccan jersey was a wonderful match against a strong team, and we are very happy to achieve this victory."

The Atlas Lion added: "One of our main strengths is confidence. We believe in our style of play and in our abilities, and we know that the match lasts until the final whistle, and we proved that when we scored the equalizer in the last minutes of regular time."

The same speaker continued: "In extra time, we maintained our composure, and then we succeeded in deciding the match through penalties, which is not easy. I believe we deserved the win, and that’s why we feel very happy."

The Moroccan national team player saw that this achievement gives the team an important morale boost; however, he emphasized that the road is still long, saying: "It's great to realize that we eliminated the Netherlands; but we are still at the beginning of the journey. Now the tougher matches begin, and if we want to reach the final and perhaps win the title, we still have a lot of work ahead of us."

Bouaddi concluded his statements by saying: "We will celebrate this qualification a little; because we want to enjoy this moment, and then we will focus on our next match against Canada, which also has outstanding players."