Soufian El Karouani used Morocco's 5-1 win over Niger in Casablanca to make two things clear. He says he is happy at Benfica, and he also sees his return to Morocco as a personal reset after months without minutes for the national team.
He came on in the 69th minute for Mazraoui, and the appearance mattered because it was his first for Morocco since 31 March 2026. Speaking to A Bola, El Karouani said: "Of course I am happy to play for Benfica, it is a big club. I am happy to be there."
Benfica and the club role
The Benfica line is backed up by his European involvement. El Karouani has made 4 Europa League appearances this season, and Benfica have won all 4 of their Europa League matches. He has a 7.02 average rating in the competition, which fits the confidence in his comments better than his domestic minutes do.
Those domestic minutes remain limited, with only 17 Primeira Liga minutes this season. That does not turn the Benfica story into anything bigger than it is, but it does show why his club status still needs watching rather than assumptions.
Morocco's return in Casablanca
El Karouani also framed the Morocco appearance as a personal lift. Speaking after the match in A Bola comments translated from Portuguese, he said: "We played well, we scored many goals, we did what we wanted and had spoken about with the coach. It was not the first minutes with the coach, he had already given me some minutes, I am happy to have returned to show my qualities, it is like a return home and I am enjoying every minute."
He added that Casablanca carries special weight for him, because it was where he made his senior debut for the national team on 9 October 2021 against Guinea-Bissau. Morocco's next Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match is on Tuesday, 17 November, against Niger in Rabat, with Niger the formal hosts.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
