Head coach Regragui credits second half performance in Morocco's win over Tunisia
- Omna Taddele
- Jun 7
- 2 min read
Morocco coach Walid Regragui said that their second-half performance against Tunisia in Fez deserves credit following the Atlas Lions' 2-0 victory over their North African rivals. Achraf Hakimi and Ayoub El Kaabi scored the winning goals with ten minutes remaining on the clock.
The 49-year-old coach thanked the fans in Fez and mentioned that he made some tactical adjustments before the match. “The fans always support the team. That is what helped us win this match. The match was good for us. We had players who played in the Champions League and Europa League. They all had physical and athletic issues. But we didn't give up. We brought in some young players.”
Regragui also noted that the Atlas Lions experimented with new tactics during the friendly. “We tried a new defense. We tried a new attack with Saibari and Ben Seghir on the wings, but we had some issues in the No. 10 position. We saw that at the beginning of the first half. We didn’t need depth—we needed to play more passes. Against this kind of team, we needed more space. But we had a lot of chances. We should have settled the score earlier.”
The second-half performance was particularly praised by Regragui, who highlighted their improved organization as key to the win. “In the second half, we came in with a different mindset—more pressing, even more intensity. We were better organized in our pressing. In the first half, we were a bit late to react. In the end, the better team won. We had 60% possession. Our expected goals, I believe, were 1.44. Theirs was 0.12.”
Morocco is now gearing up for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the September edition of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers. They will face Benin in another friendly match this coming Monday.
