One fewer threat to manage before the tournament truly begins
On the eve of football's grandest stage, Morocco finds itself navigating the quiet cruelty of misfortune — a key attacker, Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, felled not by an opponent in the tournament itself, but by the final rehearsal meant to prepare him for it. The 24-year-old Real Betis winger sustained a medial collateral ligament sprain against Norway, a warm-up that became a wound, and will miss at least the opening weeks of the World Cup. In the long human story of sport, few ironies cut deeper than the preparation that undoes the prepared.
- Morocco's most dangerous wide attacker is ruled out before a single World Cup ball is kicked, the injury arriving in the cruelest window — close enough to the tournament to matter, too late to adapt fully.
- The same Norway friendly that cost Ezzalzouli his knee also claimed left-back Mazraoui to a shoulder injury, leaving coach Mohamed Ouahbi to rebuild both his attack and his defense simultaneously.
- With a 2-3 week recovery timeline, Ezzalzouli risks missing Morocco's entire group stage, turning what was a squad depth question into a genuine tactical crisis.
- Brazil, Morocco's first opponent on June 13 at MetLife Stadium, quietly inherits an advantage — one fewer creative threat to neutralize on a night when every edge will matter.
Morocco arrived at the World Cup already counting costs. Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, the 24-year-old Real Betis winger who had been one of the team's sharpest attacking weapons in the lead-up to the tournament, suffered a moderate sprain to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during a warm-up match against Norway. The injury, confirmed by Spanish outlet Marca, will sideline him for two to three weeks — a window that maps almost perfectly onto Morocco's group stage.
The bitter irony is that Ezzalzouli had been performing well. In that same Norway match, a 1-1 draw, he provided the assist for Brahim Diaz's goal. The match was designed to sharpen the squad. Instead, it reshaped it.
Ezzalzouli will remain with the delegation while medical staff complete their evaluation, but his absence against Brazil on Saturday, June 13, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is already certain. He will not be on the field when the 7 p.m. kickoff arrives.
The damage did not stop with him. Left-back Mazraoui also left the Norway friendly with a shoulder injury, forcing coach Mohamed Ouahbi to reconfigure both his attacking and defensive plans in the days remaining before the tournament opener.
For Brazil, the news offers quiet relief. For Morocco, it is the kind of timing that can quietly unravel a World Cup campaign — a team weakened precisely when it can least afford to be, searching for answers from its bench before the questions have even been asked.
Morocco arrived at the World Cup already short-handed. Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, one of the team's most dangerous attacking players, suffered a moderate sprain to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during a warm-up match against Norway just days before the tournament began. The injury, confirmed by Spanish newspaper Marca, will keep him sidelined for at least two to three weeks—a timeline that could stretch through Morocco's entire group stage.
Ezzalzouli, 24, plays as a left winger for Real Betis in Spain's La Liga. He had been integral to Morocco's final preparations, setting up Brahim Diaz for the team's goal in a 1-1 draw with Norway. That match, meant to sharpen the squad before facing Brazil, instead became the site of multiple injuries that would reshape the team's opening lineup.
The Real Betis winger will remain with Morocco's delegation for now while medical staff conduct a more thorough evaluation of the damage. But the calculus is already clear: he will not be available when Morocco takes the field against Brazil on Saturday, June 13, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The match kicks off at 7 p.m. local time.
Morocco's injury troubles extended beyond Ezzalzouli. Left-back Mazraoui also suffered a shoulder injury during the same Norway friendly and had to be substituted out of the match. Coach Mohamed Ouahbi now faces the task of reshaping his attacking and defensive schemes with less than a week to prepare.
For Brazil, the news amounts to a small gift—one fewer threat to manage in an opening match that carries enormous weight. For Morocco, it represents the kind of cruel timing that can derail a World Cup campaign before it truly begins. The team will need to find attacking depth from its bench or adjust its tactical approach entirely. Either way, the absence of a player who had been performing well in the lead-up to the tournament leaves Morocco weakened at a moment when it can least afford to be.
Notable Quotes
Ezzalzouli had contributed with the assist for Morocco's only goal in the 1-1 draw against Norway— Match report
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
How significant is losing Ezzalzouli for just the opener versus potentially the whole group stage?
It's the difference between a setback and a crisis. If he's back in two weeks, Morocco might recover him for knockout rounds. But if the injury lingers, they could be playing three group matches without one of their best attacking options.
Did Morocco have depth at that position, or was he kind of irreplaceable?
The source doesn't say explicitly, but the fact that they're calling him a highlight of the team suggests he wasn't easily replaceable. He was doing real work in the warm-ups—he set up their goal against Norway.
And Mazraoui going down too—is that a pattern, or just bad luck?
Same match, different injuries. It looks like the Norway friendly was just a rough outing. Whether it's a sign of poor conditioning or just the randomness of contact sports, it's hard to say from what we know.
What does this mean for how Brazil approaches the match?
Brazil gets to face a Morocco team that's already compromised before kickoff. That's a tactical advantage—fewer threats to scout, fewer weapons to prepare for. It's the kind of luck that can swing a tournament.
Will Ezzalzouli definitely miss the whole group stage?
The recovery window is two to three weeks. The group stage runs longer than that, so yes, he could miss all of it. But it depends on how the injury responds to treatment.