Wahbi Wins His Second Match with Morocco — The Atlas Lions Beat Paraguay 2-1 in Lens

The Match by the Numbers — Khannous Opens, Ayyoubi Finishes

Bilal El Khannous opened the scoring in the 48th minute with a strike that precisely targeted the far corner after a nimble dribble inside the box. The goal that changed the general mood and set the stands alight, where a large Moroccan diaspora community in northern France was in attendance. In the 53rd minute, Naïl El Ayyoubi doubled the lead after a well-weighted pass gave him enough time for a composed finish.

Paraguay revived hope in the 88th minute through a goal by Gustavo Caballero, but the remaining two minutes were not enough to level the score. The Lions held on to the win and left Lens in higher spirits than when they arrived.

Wahbi and the Tough Challenge — Succeeding Regragui

Mohammed Wahbi was no unknown figure in Moroccan football circles. The coach who built a distinguished record with Moroccan youth teams and led Morocco Under-20 to a world title — that history is what prompted the Moroccan federation to choose him as Regragui's successor. But the challenge is entirely different: managing accomplished stars at the peak of their careers and forging a new identity for a team that shaped its style gradually over many years.

The first two matches revealed some priorities: Wahbi is looking for a team that attacks with greater boldness than the recent habit, while preserving the defensive belt that made Morocco one of the hardest teams in the world to score against.

The Atlas Brain — Hakimi and Aynaoui as the Spine

Among the most notable observations from the Paraguay match: Achraf Hakimi's performance on the right flank, providing a striking number of deep runs that gave the forwards enough space to move. Alongside him, Issa Diop reinforced his defensive presence to form with the other defenders a wall that was difficult to breach even in the moments when Paraguay were complicating the game.

The attacking file still needs deeper balance — Wahbi is experimenting with different combinations to discover which players are most in sync with each other when pressure rises.

Group 3 Awaits — Brazil and the Long Road

Morocco know their World Cup group: Group 3 with Brazil, Scotland, and Haiti. Achieving sufficient technical cohesion before the summer is Wahbi's top priority. The Brazil fixture will be the first real test — but the win over Paraguay gives the squad what it needs right now: the feeling of victory that unifies a group and rebuilds the collective sense of capability.

A team that reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup cannot be measured by a friendly win over Paraguay — but every journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and this step was taken in Lens on the first of April.

Summary

Wahbi's first win with Morocco in Lens opens a new chapter in Moroccan football history. The Lions are quietly and professionally reshaping their game ahead of a World Cup in which Morocco carry genuine ambition to advance past the group stage. If the team continues this development, summer will mark the beginning of another chapter in the Atlas Lions' story with the world.