Morocco boss Herve Renard says his players must be proud of their World Cup performance, despite exiting the competition at the group stage.
The Atlas Lions were knocked out in the group stages after drawing 2-2 with Spain at the Kaliningrad Stadium, finishing bottom of Group B on one point. They lost against Iran 1-0 and to Portugal by the same scoreline.
C’est terminé entre le Maroc et l’Espagne. Les deux équipes se quittent sur un match nul, 2-2.#CM2018 #DimaMaghreb pic.twitter.com/CB3reZKbqa
— Maroc (@EnMaroc) June 25, 2018
The North Africans looked disappointed after VAR awarded Iago Aspas’ late strike for La Roja as a goal to share the points among the two sides. The 49-year-old is still satisfied with his team’s progress.
“This World Cup has been an exceptional experience. I was here to learn and we have learned a great deal over the three matches. We would have loved to have gone into the next round but we should be proud of what we have done and what we have achieved,” Renard told reporters after the game.
“We suffered, as every team that plays against Spain suffers, because their lineup is a mix of Real Madrid and Barcelona players – all exceptional. But I think our players, the whole team, should be commended for this game and the entire World Cup.
La joie des Marocains après le but de Youssef En Nesyri 🇲🇦 #CM2018 #ESPMAR #DimaMaghreb pic.twitter.com/IsTuiyeLj4
— Maroc (@EnMaroc) June 25, 2018
“We’ve lacked a bit of experience and there were games we should have had better results in. But we’ve shown that we can take on two of the best teams in the world, Portugal and Spain, and represent Morocco well. We will keep this World Cup in our minds. It was a magical moment for us and I want to wish good luck to all the teams in the last 16, and particularly the two African teams (Senegal and Nigeria) trying to make it through.”
Spain and Portugal qualified from Group B, while Morocco and Iran’s journey in Russia has come to an end following their results on Monday.
