Morocco head coach Walid Regragui has voiced his delight with the team’s performance after they secured a win over Cameroon to reach their first AFCON semifinal in 22 years, SportPremi reports.
The Atlas Lions had not reached the last four of Africa’s Premier football competition since 2004, but they broke that jinx with a 2-0 win over Cameroon in their quarterfinal clash on Friday night.
In that edition in Tunisia, Morocco reached the final before suffering a 2-1 defeat to the host nations as they fell short in their bid to add a second title.
Diaz and Saibari shine on big night for Morocco
Morocco reached the semifinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and were hoping to break their last four drought at the African Cup of Nations when they faced Cameroon in their quarterfinal clash.
The Atlas Lions dominated the first half and went ahead after Brahim Diaz applied the finishing touch to a flick from Ayoub El Kaabi.
- Check this: Morocco defeat Cameroon to reach AFCON last four
The Real Madrid man scored for the fifth consecutive match and is already an early contender to win the player of the tournament award.
Ismael Saibari doubled their advantage in the second half to complete the 2-0 win and send them to the last four where they will face the winner of the clash between Algeria and Nigeria.
Regragui and Saibari reacts to Morocco’s win over Cameroon
Speaking after the win, Walid Regragui who has guided the team to this historic run, expressed confidence in their quality to go all the way and win the tournament.
“I want to thank the players and the fans. It truly felt like we were playing with 12 players on the pitch. Qualifying for the semi-finals is well deserved, and the players earned it”, Regragui stated.
“I congratulate Cameroon for a strong performance and their coach for his good work. Our players gave everything, and when they stay focused, things go well. I am very happy with what they showed.
Brahim Díaz is a special player, and I congratulate him for his performances. We must remain humble because every team wants to beat us, and we must respect all our opponents. Since 2004, Morocco had not reached the semi-finals, and now we are aiming to write history”, he concluded.
Player of the match award winner Ismael Saibari was equally delighted at his side’s performance and is focused on reaching the final with the team.
“It was a very tough match with a lot of intensity. We were strong defensively and, in attack, we managed to score two goals; we work very well as a group in the Moroccan national team and know each other well. We are fighting together to win the title and have now reached the semi-finals and our aim is to go all the way to the final”, the midfielder stated.
“Our fans supported us massively and never doubted us. We will now rest, wait to see our semi-final opponent, and then start preparing while correcting the mistakes we made earlier.”
