Morocco's head coach, Walid Regragi, commented on the controversial episodes and dramatic events surrounding the Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal (0:1). According to him, it was the stoppage of the final match, arguments, and a long break that negatively impacted the overall image of African football.
Regragi openly admitted the situation: it's not a beautiful sight to have to stop the game for more than 10 minutes in front of the whole world. He didn't hide his heavy reaction to the sensation in the final, commenting that "the African football we created didn't turn out very well."
At the same time, the Moroccan specialist noted that football can sometimes be harsh. According to him, the team knew in advance that there wouldn't be many opportunities in matches like the final, so it was necessary to maximize every opportunity. According to Regrague, a penalty in the last seconds could have brought Morocco the title, but this time fate decided differently.
Although the expert admitted that this episode could be talked about for a long time, the main focus was on the future: he expressed hope that the team would not be demoralized, that they would learn from this defeat and return stronger. That is, Regrati's mood is like this: the final was lost, but Morocco's path is not over.
As a reminder, the most intense moment of the match came after a controversial penalty against Senegal. At that time, Senegalese head coach Pap Tyav took the team off the field in protest. After some time, Sadio Mane brought his teammates back to the field, and the match continued.
Brahim Diaz converted the penalty in a "panenka" style, but the shot went straight into the hands of goalkeeper Eduard Mendy. The "championship door" for Morocco closed at that moment. Then the game went into extra time, and it was there that Pap Gueye's goal brought victory to Senegal and heavy grief to Morocco.
The conclusion is one: the final was memorable not only for the score but also for the emotions. Regragi's performance shows this - Morocco doesn't justify this defeat, doesn't hide it, but doesn't escape it either. Now the most important thing is to turn this pain into strength.
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