Former Morocco Coach Renard Reflects on Bittersweet National Team Exit

In a long interview with Zack Nani’s YouTube channel, the former Moroccan national team coach has a bitter memory of his departure in 2019, after the elimination of the Atlas Lions in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations against Benin. "Already, it had to be rebuilt, and a lot of young people started: Mazraoui, En-Nesyri, Hakimi, Aguerd, Sofiane Amrabat made their debut in the national team at that time. Not always starters, but gradually. So, it had to be rebuilt," he said.

Hervé Renard also looked back on Morocco’s qualification for the 2018 World Cup final, after 20 years of absence. The French technician believes that the Atlas Lions, eliminated in the group stage, had made a good run that had not been properly appreciated. "We had a great qualifying campaign to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. I think we had a good World Cup. We were not rewarded for everything we did," lamented the current coach of the French women’s national team.

The French technician did not fail to mention this "curse of the round of 16" that haunts the Atlas Lions. "The CAN, against Egypt in 2017, quarter-finals, it’s played on not much. We were on the rise. And then in 2019, a bit of what just happened to Senegal this year happened to us. That is to say, we win our three group matches, so we are among the favorites, and we play Benin, who is a team that defends well. We have a penalty in the 88th minute, we miss the penalty, and then time passes, extra time comes, and it becomes more and more difficult. And we lose on penalties. That’s the fate of direct elimination competitions..." he explained.