Morocco head coach Walid Regragui has challenged his Atlas Lions side to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) if they want to cement their legendary status in football, www.aclsports.com reports.
Regragui saw his side go down 1-2 to Croatia in the third place playoff game at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on Saturday but he insists he harbours no regrets on how it ended.
“If you offered me before the tournament that Morocco would be among the best ten teams in the world, I would accept it.
“So all the ifs and haves do not matter to me. We have learned a lot in this tournament and I have no regrets,” said the former defender after the game.
"If you offered me before the tournament that Morocco would finish among the best four teams in the world, I would take."
Atlas Lions head coach Hoalid Regragui. #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/t3M7XYzNnp
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Impressive young defender Joško Gvardiol headed the Croatians in front at the Khalifa International Stadium after just seven minutes but Morocco’s young centre back Achraf Dari levelled two minutes later with a header of his own.
The game was however decided by a spectacular chipped effort by Mislav Oršić in the 42nd minute. Croatia thus nicked third spot at the FIFA World Cup for the second time as the North Africans fall short.
“We will live in this moment and try to improve because we are not there yet. We have faced some good teams in this competition. We played twice against Croatia and held our own so we should be proud of what we have done and build on it,” added Regragui.
The next major tournament for this excelling team could be the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations already scheduled for January 2024 in Coted’voire. Regragui says for this group of players to go down as the best in Moroccan history, they must win the tournament.
“I said to the players in the dressing room that if you want to be the best ever, then you have to win the Africa Cup of Nations and we have to do that in the next few years.
“Before being kings of the world, you have to be King in your own country (or continent) so it might be daunting but that’s what we have to do,” said Regragui who was a key part of the Moroccan team that lost in the 2004 AFCON final against Tunisia.
Morocco bowed out of the last AFCON in Cameroon at the quarter-final stage after a Mohammed Salah-inspired Egypt beat them 2-1.
