Morocco forward Ismael Saibari has revealed that scoring twice at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup is a dream come true for him, www.aclsports.com reports.
Having scored against Brazil in his side’s opening game, he thumped home a fantastic finish against Scotland to steer the Atlas Lions to their first win of the tournament. By doing so, the attacker made history as the first Moroccan to get his name on the scoresheet in back-to-back World Cup games.
“It’s the best moment of my career,” Saibari said after the game. “Playing for your country at the World Cup is every player’s dream, and I’ve managed to live that dream by scoring two goals in two games.”
Saibari’s goal against Scotland made him the first Moroccan player in history to score in back-to-back World Cup games. He is the second African to do it in his opening two World Cup appearances after Mohamed Salah, who achieved the feat with Egypt at Russia 2018.
The partnership between Brahim Díaz and Saibari has become a potent attacking weapon for Morocco, with the latter already benefiting from two assists from the Real Madrid star.
“His passing ability is second to none, but it’s up to me to convert them,” Saibari reflected.
Meanwhile, Saibari was named Superior Player of the Match for his vital contribution.
On his part, Morocco’s coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, spoke about the decision to field Saibari as a false nine in the tournament.
“It all started when I took over,” Ouhabi said in his post-match press conference. “I adopted a game plan and certain principles, and I wanted to put it into practice with the strongest squad at my disposal. If I’ve got quality players at my disposal, I’m going to make full use of them.
“With so many No10s to choose from, I needed to find the right structure and balance to make us more effective and solid, and to make sure our best players were playing. So far, so good,” the tactician concluded.
Morocco, now playing with confidence and freedom, shift focus to their final Group C clash against Haiti as they aim to seal a place in the Round of 32.
