Regragui: "Mali Played with Five Defenders, Showing Respect for Us"

Walid Regragui believes yesterday's Africa Cup of Nations clash against Mali resembled some of the matches Morocco played in the build-up to the tournament.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, the national coach stated, "We played against a strong Mali team that truly immersed us in the Africa Cup of Nations atmosphere. I believe it was similar to our previous matches, but this time it featured greater attacking quality and talent."

He added, "I wasn't surprised by Mali's performance; they started with five defenders, just as many teams do against us, which demonstrates their respect for our squad. I believe they struggled. We ended the match with 62% possession and 15 shots, figures close to our usual statistics. We simply need to be more effective in these types of games."