Walid Regragui surprises everyone after the draw against Mali

Brahim Diaz’s teammates thought they had done the hardest part by opening the scoring on a penalty just before the break. But the Malian realism, materialized by Sinayoko’s equalizer in the second half, dampened the atmosphere at the Moulay Abdellah Complex. Result: a share of the points that forces Morocco to negotiate a last decisive turn on Monday against Zambia.

Facing the press, the coach surprised everyone. Far from dramatizing this underperformance, Walid Regragui assumes his satisfaction: "You’re going to think I’m crazy, but I’m happy with the draw. It’s the equivalent of a quarter or round of 16 level match." For him, being shaken up now allows him to correct the flaws - notably the lack of precision on the centers and set pieces - before the decisive matches.

The absence of captain Achraf Hakimi weighed on the right flank. Regragui confirmed that he had rested him as a precaution ("no risks"), hoping to recover him fully for Monday’s decisive match.

On the Malian side, the tone is very different. While Morocco analyzes its technical shortcomings, coach Tom Saintfiet cries foul, believing that the refereeing overlooked a blatant penalty for a handball by Nayef Aguerd. "If it had been whistled, we would have won," he said bitterly.