Noussair Mazraoui Injured in Morocco's Pre‑World Cup Friendly

Noussair Mazraoui was forced off after 29 minutes in Morocco's friendly against Norway on Sunday evening. The match took place at the Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey. Abde Ezzalzouli also left the field later in the same game. The Manchester United defender reported discomfort before being substituted by Youssef Belammari. The severity of Mazraoui's issue has not been confirmed and may have been a precaution. Mazraoui has scored two goals in 45 appearances for Morocco since debuting at age 20 in 2018. His caps include five matches at the 2022 World Cup and participation in the Africa Cup of Nations title win on home soil. Real Betis winger Ezzalzouli collided with teammate Chadi Riad and was replaced at half‑time by Soufiane Rahimi. The incident occurred after the Moroccan side had taken a 1‑0 lead. Brahim Diaz opened the scoring in the eighth minute, giving Morocco a 1‑0 advantage at the break. The friendly serves as the final warm‑up before Morocco begin their Group C World Cup campaign, with their opening match against Brazil scheduled for June 13. Manager Mohamed Ouahbi may name one injury replacement from his 55‑man provisional list up to 24 hours before the Brazil game. Morocco's next World Cup fixtures are against Scotland in Foxborough on June 19 and Haiti five days later.