From one of our special envoys in Al-Khor,
20 minutes. It’s our name, but also the time spent by Romain Saïss on the lawn of the Al Bayt stadium. The muscle injury that put his World Cup on hold ended up getting the better of the Moroccan captain’s unshakeable will. He would have preferred to return to the field to congratulate his teammates for the historic qualification for the final, but it was generally defeated that he painfully returned to comfort, in tap shoes.
“Inevitably, there is disappointment, commented the defender of Besiktas after the defeat against France. We are competitors and we would have liked to go to the end. But we did something amazing. It’s still a bit too early to realize that. But once the bitter taste of failure dissipated and elimination digested will come the time of pride for the Atlas Lions.
A little reminder of their ridiculously exceptional journey, where only Canada acted as an easy opponent:
- Draw against the 2018 World Cup finalist
- Victory against the 3rd of the world 2018
- Victory against two of the last three European champions
- Made the reigning world champions tremble
The 40 minutes when Morocco made the Blues tremble
The last point deserves attention, because it is the most recent and it concerns the Blues. There is indeed this regrettable goal conceded too early, “which gave certainty to the France team and allowed it to stay in its scheme”, as Walid Regragui will comment in a post-match conference. But above all there were these 40 minutes, between the end of the first period and the KO of Randal Kolo Muani, where the Blues did not lead wide, mainly on the corridor of hell Ziyech-Hakimi. “We showed that we had personality and we got chances after the conceded goal”, is satisfied Yassine Bounou. Regragui, develops:
“We said that if they let us have the ball, we would take it. We did it but we made too many technical errors in the first half. In the second half, we were more skilful, we lost fewer balls, we caused them problems, we created a lot of situations but we were not decisive in the 30 meters. We wanted to score to put them in doubt. »
Failing to score, they will have sown doubt, period. But the Blues have for them the experience of the champion and incomparable individual talents. Or, as Deschamps would say, “a mix of quality, experience, mindset, even in difficult times. The Moroccan coach, however, does not subscribe to the theory that his team was inferior tactically. If she couldn’t go after her dream, it’s because “the step was too high from an athletic point of view. We have too many players who have played at 60%, 70%. That’s not enough to win a World Cup. »
It may not be enough to grab third place, either. Especially since Regragui intends to rotate against Croatia, to allow those who have not played to “know the taste of a World Cup”. A way to thank them for their contribution to the good life of the group despite their low playing time.
“Let’s bring back trophies to Morocco!” »
Basically, 3rd or 4th, it’s not that it doesn’t matter, but almost. Who the hell looks at the bronze medalists when looking back at the last World Cups? What matters is the legacy. Morocco opened a breach by allowing African football to reach the top 4 in the world for the first time. Two options are available to him: contemplate this glorious feat of arms without ever repeating it, or enroll permanently within the football elite. Romain Saïss has made his choice. “It’s something that should serve us in future competitions, World Cups, African Cups. Everything is possible in football when you do the right thing, when you have the mindset, the desire to give everything on the pitch. And bring back trophies to Morocco! »
Walid Regragui nevertheless warns: the road will be long. “We showed that we could be at the level in these competitions, it’s wonderful, but now we have to confirm. We have to come back to the World Cup all the time, without having to wait 20 years, and that passing the first round becomes normal for us. This course of Morocco will free the African teams and the African players, and show them that we can compete with the Europeans. But we mustn’t get carried away. There is still work. »