Morocco Falls Short of World Cup Bronze, Coach Regragui Reflects on Historic Run

Morocco fails to reach the podium. Regragui’s squad, severely depleted and extremely fatigued, were unable to help the Moroccan team, who were beaten 2-1 by Luka Modric’s Croatians. Nevertheless, Morocco is credited with a historic run, being the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, the Moroccan coach reviewed the performance of his players in this race for 3rd place and his assessment of the match. He indicated that his players were very tired. "We finish with difficulty. The players killed themselves on the field, with many injured. A lot of fatigue," he said.

For the native of Corbeil-Essonnes, Croatia deserved their victory, given their experience. "We fell on a better team. They held the ball, we made them doubt," stressed the coach of the Atlas Lions who, did not hide his pride in the journey accomplished in Qatar. "We have learned a lot to come back stronger after, we have to be happy, satisfied, and work for the future," he added.

Addressing the many Moroccan supporters, Regragui invites them to keep the flame of hope alive. "We came together, this union is magnificent. We did our best, may they excuse us for the last two games, the players fought. This is the message to convey, it was magnificent, but we will do better, God willing," concluded the coach.