FORMER Super Eagles coach and captain, Sunday Oliseh, has said Morocco could have defeated Brazil by a 3-1 scoreline if the Atlas Lions had attackers of the quality of Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen or Ademola Lookman in their squad.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that Oliseh made the assertion on Sunday while reacting to Morocco’s impressive 1-1 draw against Brazil in their 2026 FIFA World Cup group-stage clash. The former Super Eagles skipper shared his thoughts in a post on his X handle shortly after the closely fought encounter.
Despite facing the five-time world champions, Morocco matched Brazil for long spells and earned a valuable point in a game that highlighted the North Africans’ growing reputation on the global stage. The Atlas Lions once again demonstrated the qualities that saw them become the first African nation to reach a FIFA World Cup semi-final in 2022.
Oliseh was particularly impressed by Morocco’s organisation, discipline and tactical structure, praising the team for maintaining balance both in attack and defence throughout the contest.
“Impressive performance by this Moroccan side, defensively and offensively well structured,” the former midfielder wrote, applauding the tactical maturity displayed by the team.
While praising Morocco, Oliseh suggested that the difference between a draw and a convincing victory was the absence of elite finishers in the mould of Osimhen and Lookman, two of Nigeria’s most influential attacking stars.
“Had this team had Victor Osimhen or Ademola Lookman-like players versus Brazil, they could have won by 3 goals to 1 at worst,” he stated.
The former Borussia Dortmund and Ajax midfielder also argued that Brazil were fortunate to escape defeat, insisting that the South Americans were rescued by the quality of some of their biggest stars.
According to Oliseh, Brazil’s performance was not as convincing as the result suggested, with players such as Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha playing crucial roles in ensuring the five-time world champions remained competitive throughout the encounter.
“Brazil looking deceptive and thank God they had Vinicius Jr and Raphinha. I loved the belief and evolution from the Moroccans,” he added.
Morocco’s display earned widespread praise from football observers, with many highlighting the team’s confidence, technical quality and growing ability to compete with the world’s elite nations. Their performance against Brazil further reinforced the progress made by the Atlas Lions since their historic run at the 2022 World Cup.
The encounter eventually ended 1-1, with Brazil’s Vinicius Júnior receiving the Superior Player of the Match award. However, for Oliseh, the bigger story was Morocco’s continued evolution into a formidable force on the international stage and the belief that, with a clinical finisher of Osimhen’s or Lookman’s calibre, the Atlas Lions might well have claimed a famous victory over the South American giants.
