Morocco U17 MNT head Coach, Said Chiba believes his side did what they had to do to conquer Nigeria in their second Group B game at the ongoing CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria.

The Atlas Cubs produced a solid defensive display to edge the Eaglets 1-0 on Wednesday.

Morocco got an ideal start to the game when Eaglets defender Tochukwu Ogboji scored an own goal in the second minute.

Morocco then sat back to protect the advantage until the final whistle. They only had only three shots on target, won 32 tackles, had 44 clearances with 17 interceptions defensively.

“The game was very difficult and we didn’t have easy chances to score. But we used one of the three chances we had.

“We knew that Nigeria knew some of our tactics and we knew we had to be efficient in attack. We were patient and organized the whole game and I am pleased with our performance,” said the coach.

He has however admitted that the team needs to do better offensively, to create more and ensure they can see off games early and more comfortably.

“What was difficult today (Wednesday) is that we faced a very good and physical Nigeria side and it was not easy to get many chances. But it’s true we have some work to do offensively and we will try to do better on that,” noted the former Morocco international.​

“We want to ensure that we are fresh for the quarter finals so most of the players who have been involved in the first two matches will be rested and we also give others a chance,” noted the tactician.

Morocco’s best ever performance in their previous two appearances at the tournament was a fourth place finish in 2013 and they are keen to go one better this time round.