Regragui: 'Fear Creeps In During Final Minutes, Especially After Mali-Tunisia Drama'

Morocco's national coach, Walid Regragui, emphasized that the final minutes of knockout matches exert immense pressure on a team, especially after witnessing what transpired yesterday between Tunisia and Mali, where Tunisia conceded a decisive goal in the dying moments.

Speaking at the press conference following the Moroccan national team's qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-finals, Regragui stated: "Physically, as a coach, you always have to consider all scenarios. We could concede a goal in the last minute, just as happened to Tunisia yesterday against Mali."

He continued: "If we make substitutions too early, we might be forced into extra time. Therefore, we also tried to give some players game time to prepare for the quarter-finals."

Regragui added: "Ultimately, when there are five minutes left, fear creeps in, especially when you see yesterday's Mali scenario; you worry about a mistake that could lead you to extra time."

He further explained: "There's also the pressure of direct knockout matches; the opponent throws everything they have at you, and you try to control the game. So, we secured our defense to win our match like a big team. One-nil, it's over, thank you, and we are now in the quarter-finals; that's all that matters to me."

He concluded: "Brahim still needed to develop his playing style physically. We saw today that he was not at his best in the first half, his movement was less, but he got into the rhythm of the game much better in the second half. This is part of physical development."