Doha, Qatar, Dec. 15, Haolid Regragui Head Coach of Morocco national team has said they will now shift their focus on winning the third-place match against Croatia on Saturday in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Morocco will take on Croatia who lost to Argentina in the other semi-final match, on Saturday, December 17, at the Khalifa Stadium.
He said the people of Morocco and the continent were proud of them for reaching the semi-finals, but they had to win the third-place match to compensate them for the defeat against France.
Speaking in a post-match interview, Coach Regragui said, their aim was to beat France to make a historic entry into the finals of the competition, but it was not possible.
“We had plans of making it into the finals, but a lot of factors worked against us. We conceded an early goal which distabilised us, and some of our players also had early injuries.
“Besides, there were other injury situations in camp, which did not help our cause, but we are proud of our achievements.
“Our target was the finals, but we missed it. We also made petty mistakes which we paid dearly for.
“The World Cup is the highest level in football, and you must always pay attention to details. You would be punished for the slightest mistakes,” he added.
Coach Regragui said though his players were psychologically down, he would work on them to get them prepared for the game on Saturday.
According to the Coach, he would also offer other players who had not played any game to have a feel of the World Cup on Saturday.
“Some of my players are battling injuries, and others are tired, this is the chance to give others the opportunity to taste the world cup,” he stated.
