Ashraf Hakimi (Man of the match)
“We are all to be congratulated. This victory reflects the great teamwork shown by all of us. We will continue to work towards our goal. Today I also had the privilege of scoring a free-kick, I don’t know which goal was the best. I will stop and watch to evaluate. This one was more difficult because of the angle. Right now, I’m focusing on my team and the next phase. I have been practicing this kind of situations and I am happy when goals come in games”.
Vahid Halilhodzic (Coach, Morocco)
“It was not an easy game. When we conceded the goal, it made my team react and it was very complex. In the second half we didn’t lose concentration and managed to organize ourselves and take control of the game. We will remain committed and look to win the next games. We had plenty of chances and hesitated a lot. I hope that in the next game we will be more effective. I hope that the players who are injured recover and join the squad soon. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, we are aware that we are not at the level we want. I believe that with more games like these we can gain more confidence”.
Marian Marinica (Coach, Malawi)
“We worked and were very close. Personally, I tried to exploit the opportunities I had. We played against a very good team. However, I am proud of the performance of my players. Gabadinho is a good player and, as you saw, each player gave his best. I believe Gaba has the potential to play at the highest level. Our game plan happened as we wanted, but I have to admit that we played against a fantastic opponent”.