Coach Regragui reflects on loss of national team in qualifiers of African cup of nations
Following the Moroccan national team’s 1-2 loss to their South African opponent in the penultimate round of the African Cup of Nations qualifications, national coach Walid Regragui expressed his extreme dissatisfaction.
Despite the defeat, Regragui admitted that the setback at this point might improve the team’s performance in the future as it gives them time to evaluate their tactics before the finals.
Regragui congratulated the South African team during the post-game press conference, highlighting their well-earned victory on home soil.
He praised them for their outstanding performance and positive attitude throughout the game. Regragui acknowledged that his squad did not play at their peak during the opening period, giving their opponents multiple opportunities—an inexcusable error at such a crucial point in the match.
He did, however, underline his disregard for a few defeats in the run-up to the African Nations Cup finals, suggesting that his remarks might have had an impact on the players’ perspective.
“In the second half, we played with renewed enthusiasm and created numerous scoring chances. However, in the end, our opponents proved more deserving of the win.”
“We made several changes in this match, aiming to observe and evaluate as many players as possible. Some players gained points to secure their return to the national team, while others failed to impress. This was the purpose of the meeting—to gain a clearer perspective.”
“I stand by my initial statement,” the coach insisted. For the time being, our first priority is to take a rest and really get ready for the African Cup of Nations finals in September. All teams face difficulties in June since many players have just finished a taxing European season. To demand more than they are capable of doing at this point, when exhaustion is common, would be unfair.