Morocco and the Netherlands: A duel of titans in Monterrey

Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi was asked what would motivate his players to live up to the expectations placed on them. Would they look back on history or use something else as inspiration? “The biggest motivation for the players is to wear the jersey and represent the country,” he began. "That's enough motivation to move mountains." It would be a feat if they could alter the geology of Cerro de la Silla, the claw-shaped twin peaks that tower over the sky above the Estadio Monterrey, where Morocco and the Netherlands will meet in the World Cup round of the top 32 teams. But both teams are ready for a test of strength that could both honor and harm the World Cup. One of these teams, among the hopefuls just behind the five or six favorites, will get the victory that will provide a decisive boost to the tournament. The other will go home early and face inevitable recriminations. The outcome is difficult to predict. Perhaps it will come down to who can handle the heat better, which is expected to be at least 30 degrees Celsius when the game starts at 7 p.m. local time. This time the drinking breaks will really earn their name.



Ouahbi and Dutch coach Ronald Koeman are also looking for other advantages. Morocco received an enthusiastic welcome in northeastern Mexico, with its coach comparing the hosts' passion for football to the enthusiasm that characterizes his own country. In fact, the friendship between the nations goes back four decades. Morocco drew against Poland and England in Monterrey in 1986 and made history by reaching the knockout stages. “We feel the love,” said Ouahbi, who fondly recalled the past. "More than getting back to where we played, we hope to go a little further than we did back then." Chances are, quite literally, muscle strength matters. Dutch striker Brian Brobbey scored on his first three shots on target this summer and has catapulted himself to the brink of glory after transforming the Dutch attack. Previously viewed as a blunt instrument that didn't do justice to Ajax's training, he has combined the qualities of a central passing partner with dashing power. “We have a plan for everyone,” Ouahbi said, offering some reassurance from his time as coach of Anderlecht’s U17s. "I know [Brobbey] very well. We played against him in the Future Cup in Amsterdam and didn't concede a goal. He was probably the same size and really gave the defense a hard time." Only German

schland and France were able to match the Netherlands' ten goals in the group stage. Cody Gakpo, outstanding in the win over Sweden, appears to have been liberated by Brobbey's presence, and Crysencio Summerville's dribbling from the right also brought much joy. Both players scored twice.

Koeman noted that Morocco, tireless attacking under Ouahbi, leaves spaces but acknowledged that the Netherlands must work to avoid similar gaps. The sad news that Gakpo and his partner recently lost their unborn child has overshadowed the preparation. Gakpo will take part in the tournament; Decisions like this are always very personal and Koeman paid tribute to his perseverance. "Of course in the first few days he had the freedom to be with the family," he said. "There was never a moment where he said, 'I want to go back [home].' That's how he handled it. He's ready to play, and I don't think it's going to weigh heavily on him. He deals with it in his own way. It's very powerful and beautiful, and we left it there." Another sight of Gakpo in full, gliding motion would brighten this impossibly picturesque place. That would also require more heroics from Ismael Saibari, the Moroccan striker who has already scored three goals and is apparently set to move from PSV Eindhoven to Bayern Munich. Saibari scored in the draw against Brazil when Morocco were at their best at times. 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi has also caught the eye and if both teams can cope with the conditions, a classic cannot be ruled out. The hope is that external factors do not become relevant. Ouahbi

played down the idea that his three Dutch-born players, Noussair Mazraoui, Sofyan Amrabat and Anass Salah-Eddine, could be overwhelmed by the emotionality of the situation. The nations have a well-documented connection; He acknowledged the "strange feeling" of competing against a country that has given you something, as Ouahbi grew up in Brussels. They also have the support of the locals. There were attempts in Monterrey to relive memories of the 2014 World Cup, when a controversial late penalty from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar sent the Netherlands into the quarter-finals against Mexico. Virgil van Dijk was asked by a local journalist if he expected the displeasure of the locals, but he preferred to think about the pre-match walk that the Oranje always take. Their trusty fan bus had to travel 1,118 miles from Kansas City, where they beat Tunisia on Friday. It will be the end of the journey for one of these two great, fascinating teams. “It will be a duel of titans,” said Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. Perhaps the topography of Nuevo León is in for a transformation after all.