AFCON: Sichone concedes Zambia showed Morocco too much respect

Zambia national team coach Moses Sichone has admitted his players lost to Morocco in their final group fixture of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) because they had too much respect for the opponent.

The Atlas Lions responded emphatically to the pressure of a decisive final group match, producing a commanding 3-0 victory over the Chipolopolo on Monday night to finish top of Group A.

Ayoub El Kaabi opened the scoring for the host nation before Brahim Diaz made it 2-0. The winger showed composure to guide a left-footed finish past goalkeeper Willard Mwanza.

El Kaabi struck again in spectacular fashion in the 53rd minute to end any dream of a Zambia comeback.

Zambia players looked to be nervous

“A hard day for us on how the day went. Looking at how the game went, I think we gave them too much respect,” said Sichone after the game in Rabat.

“Some players looked to be nervous but of course let me congratulate Morocco. It is a hard day for us because we prepared so much for this match, but I don’t think we showed up and Morocco capitalised on the lack of confidence and this is unfortunately the outcome.”

He concluded: “We looked better in the second half, but it was way too late.”

The defeat saw Zambia finish bottom of Group A with two points and without a win from three matches to exit the stage.

Meanwhile, the victory saw Walid Regragui’s side finish the group stage with seven points, securing first place ahead of Mali, who also progress after a 0-0 draw with Comoros.