By Amaechi Agbo
Morocco coach Hicham Dguig guided the Atlas Lions to a record-extending fourth consecutive CAF Futsal AFCON title on Wednesday night with a 5-2 victory over Angola.
Dguig has now won four continental titles, having overseen the team for every tournament since their first title in 2016.
The former international is a pioneer of the sport in Morocco, and it is no coincidence that he is the man to lead the country to multiple titles.
After a barren 17 minutes against a formidable Angolan side at the Salle Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, the hosts broke the deadlock through Othmane Elidrissi.
The Palancas Negras responded immediately through João Cambangula, the tournament’s top scorer, who side-footed his effort past Youssef Bensellam. Youssef Jouad then restored Morocco’s lead.
Second-half goals from Raiss El Fenni, Ismail Amazal and Bilal Bakkali gave Morocco a 5-1 lead before Anderson Fortes scored a late second goal for Angola.
After the match, Dguig spoke about what the win meant to him and the country.
“Honestly, it’s overwhelming joy, because this is our fourth Africa Cup title. I want to dedicate it to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, for his care for sports,” Hicham Dguig said.
“The hall you see here, the enthusiasm, and the guests who came to see this incredible infrastructure were all part of His Majesty’s development plan. Thank God, we’ve been able to bring a bit of joy to this crowd and to this segment of the Moroccan people.”
“I also want to thank the fans. Their support was truly massive. The players showed incredible determination from the very start of the tournament to win this fourth title. Winning it consecutively since 2016 is tough, and staying at the top is difficult.”
Reflecting on the final itself, he said: “At first, the guys were a bit overexcited. The crowd wanted to see that, and there was some rush and excess enthusiasm.
“But in the second half, thank God, we managed things well and created many, many chances.”
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