Morocco can be proud of what they achieved

Morocco's dream run in Qatar World Cup may have ended with a 2-0 defeat against the world champions France in the semifinals on Wednesday, but they should hold their heads high after what they've achieved in Doha over the three-and-a-half weeks.

The Atlas Lions, who executed the dismissals of three European heavyweights – Belgium, Spain and Portugal – were found wanting when they came up against a well-drilled and heavily-experienced French side.

But things could have been very different for them had they not squandered

Although they had kept a watertight defence throughout the campaign, their lack of clinic in front of goal was evident in the final. Having scored only five goals in previous five matches, Morocco failed to find the target against France despite having as many as 13 attempts. They bossed possession but a limping defence couldn't just deal with the pace and skill of Kylian Mbappe & Co.

Coach Walid Regragui was right when he said that the semifinal defeat didn't wipe out the success of the overall campaign.

"We gave our all, that's the most important thing. The boys fought until the last minute," Regragui said at the post-match press conference.

Having taken the reins of a team in disharmony, the 47-year-old worked wonders as he united them with a nationalistic fervour and proved his mettle as an astute tactician. The France-born coach was proud of what his team achieved but he was willing to aim much higher. 

"The most important thing is to have given a good image, to have shown the world that Moroccan football exists and that we have beautiful supporters," Regragui said. "To reach the very, very highest level, to win a World Cup, we still have to work but we are not very far away."

Source: The Daily Star