Morocco coach eyes World Cup revenge after second straight defeat to France
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi vowed his side would return stronger after their World Cup campaign ended with a 2-0 defeat to France, saying the Atlas Lions would target revenge when the two teams meet again on the biggest stage.
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said his side would use Thursday's World Cup quarter-final defeat to France as motivation for the future, declaring that the Atlas Lions would aim to knock out Les Bleus when the two teams next meet on football's biggest stage.
France secured a 2-0 win at Gillette Stadium near Boston to book a place in the semi-finals, with second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele ending Morocco's campaign. It was the second successive World Cup in which France eliminated the Atlas Lions by the same scoreline, having beaten them in the semi-finals in Qatar four years ago.
Despite the disappointment, Ouahbi refused to dwell on the defeat and instead looked ahead to the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will co-host alongside Spain and Portugal.
France vs Morocco, FIFA World Cup: HIGHLIGHTS
"France are a really great side. We were playing a country who have been to the last two World Cup finals, and they have rarely had as much talent as they do now," Ouahbi said.
"It is clear today that France was stronger. But we can progress and improve further and maybe eliminate them in four years' time.
"We know we can compete, and what we want to do is work even harder to try to do even better next time."
Morocco had hoped to at least equal their historic run to the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup, but once again found France standing in their way.
Ouahbi, who had insisted on the eve of the match that a quarter-final finish would not satisfy his ambitions, said the result was difficult to accept but believed his players had left everything on the pitch.
"I think it's important to do everything to try to win and I think we did try everything," he said.
"We want to go even further and win the World Cup, so we are disappointed because we have lost, but we have to accept it."
The Belgian-born coach was appointed in March after replacing Walid Regragui, who stepped down following Morocco's Africa Cup of Nations campaign earlier this year.
With another AFCON scheduled to be held in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania next year, Ouahbi said that tournament would be Morocco's immediate focus before attention shifts to the 2030 World Cup on home soil.
"Before that we have an AFCON and if we want to do well we need to keep building, try to qualify for that and win it," he said.
"We have a huge hotbed of talent and a strong federation, so we have everything you could need to keep improving and moving forward."
Morocco's youthful squad, which included French-born teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, showed promise throughout the tournament, but Ouahbi admitted France's quality ultimately made the difference.
"We have to acknowledge that they are such a good side. They could have scored earlier than they did, but we wanted to hold on a little longer and see how they were going to react," he said.
"We have a talented young team and we want to get better. This tournament will help us improve.
"These players have had an extraordinary year, with an AFCON in the middle, so it is not easy.
"We need to come back in September, pick ourselves up, and keep going."
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Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said his side would use Thursday's World Cup quarter-final defeat to France as motivation for the future, declaring that the Atlas Lions would aim to knock out Les Bleus when the two teams next meet on football's biggest stage.
France secured a 2-0 win at Gillette Stadium near Boston to book a place in the semi-finals, with second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele ending Morocco's campaign. It was the second successive World Cup in which France eliminated the Atlas Lions by the same scoreline, having beaten them in the semi-finals in Qatar four years ago.
Despite the disappointment, Ouahbi refused to dwell on the defeat and instead looked ahead to the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will co-host alongside Spain and Portugal.
France vs Morocco, FIFA World Cup: HIGHLIGHTS
"France are a really great side. We were playing a country who have been to the last two World Cup finals, and they have rarely had as much talent as they do now," Ouahbi said.
"It is clear today that France was stronger. But we can progress and improve further and maybe eliminate them in four years' time.
"We know we can compete, and what we want to do is work even harder to try to do even better next time."
Morocco had hoped to at least equal their historic run to the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup, but once again found France standing in their way.
Ouahbi, who had insisted on the eve of the match that a quarter-final finish would not satisfy his ambitions, said the result was difficult to accept but believed his players had left everything on the pitch.
"I think it's important to do everything to try to win and I think we did try everything," he said.
"We want to go even further and win the World Cup, so we are disappointed because we have lost, but we have to accept it."
The Belgian-born coach was appointed in March after replacing Walid Regragui, who stepped down following Morocco's Africa Cup of Nations campaign earlier this year.
With another AFCON scheduled to be held in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania next year, Ouahbi said that tournament would be Morocco's immediate focus before attention shifts to the 2030 World Cup on home soil.
"Before that we have an AFCON and if we want to do well we need to keep building, try to qualify for that and win it," he said.
"We have a huge hotbed of talent and a strong federation, so we have everything you could need to keep improving and moving forward."
Morocco's youthful squad, which included French-born teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, showed promise throughout the tournament, but Ouahbi admitted France's quality ultimately made the difference.
"We have to acknowledge that they are such a good side. They could have scored earlier than they did, but we wanted to hold on a little longer and see how they were going to react," he said.
"We have a talented young team and we want to get better. This tournament will help us improve.
"These players have had an extraordinary year, with an AFCON in the middle, so it is not easy.
"We need to come back in September, pick ourselves up, and keep going."
FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup Schedule | FIFA World Cup Points Table | Football News
