'We didn't know how to manage the match as required': Morocco coach

Morocco's manager, Walid Regragui, has acknowledged the challenges his team faced against DR Congo and conceded that the Congolese side deserved the point they earned.

Ahram Online , Sunday 21 Jan 2024,

Morocco s head coach Walid Regragui reacts during the African Cup of Nations Group F soccer match between Morocco and DR Congo, at the Laurent Pokou stadium in San Pedro, Ivory Coast, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. AP

DR Congo denied Morocco a perfect start in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations by holding the Atlas Lions to a 1-1 draw on Sunday.

Achraf Hakimi gave Morocco an early lead in the 6th minute, but Silas Katompa leveled the score in the 76th minute.

"We started the match well," Regragui told the post-match news conference.

"We created opportunities for ourselves, but then we fell back and allowed them to get back into the game."

"The changes we made to bring in more freshness didn't work. We didn't know how to manage the match as required. I take responsibility for this match," admitted the Atlas Lions coach.

Regragui, who led Morocco to a historic fourth-place finish in the 2022 World Cup, added that his team needed to be tactically better.

"We left too much space between our lines."

"Tactically, we should have been better. Perhaps we respected DR Congo too much.

"They were the most difficult team in the group. They were motivated and seeking revenge. They were dangerous, and their point was deserved." he concluded.

Despite the draw, Morocco is leading the group with four points.

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