Tuesday at the Grand Stade in Agadir, Morocco could do no better than a disappointing 0-0 draw against Mauritania. A lackluster performance, which Walid Regragui did not hide his disappointment about.
This match against the Mourabitounes is unlikely to be a memorable one for newcomers Brahim Diaz and Eliesse Ben Seghir, who started for the second time with the Moroccan national team. Like their teammates from Real Madrid and AS Monaco – who nonetheless showed promising signs by fluidifying the game and creating a link between defense and attack – they were ultimately powerless against the team coached by Amir Abdou.
Disappointed with his troops, Walid Regragui was transparent after the match. “I can’t say we’re satisfied, especially with the first half. The pace was low. We fell into their trap. We need to be more ruthless in these kinds of matches. The players may have relaxed too much. Maybe I made too many changes. But it’s good, to learn. To know that our opponents will try to waste time. We need to find solutions to kill the game. We weren’t at our level tonight,” lamented the Moroccan coach on Arryadia’s microphone.
“We have a lot of new players.”
“We need to find the connections in the counter-attacks. We have a lot of new players,” the technician reminded as a mitigating circumstance. “We need to be more efficient and have clearer chances. We need to progress quickly as we approach June.”
After the meager victory against Angola (1-0), the Lions of the Atlas did not reassure against Mauritania. Only one goal in two matches is little, especially with such a group. Defensive solidity – no goals conceded – remains the main satisfaction of this March gathering. Supporters hope to see a bit more offensive animation in June when the World Cup 2026 qualifiers resume. Morocco will face Zambia (06/03) and then Congo (06/10).
