Boston [US], July 10 : Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi admitted his side was disappointed with the defeat, acknowledging that France dominated the first half of the quarter-finals through superior possession and effective attacking play.
He said Morocco struggled in transition when they won the ball, allowing France to remain comfortable and control the tempo of the game.
Morocco's remarkable FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign came to an end after the Atlas Lions suffered a 2-0 defeat to France in the quarter-final at Boston Stadium.
"We are disappointed but the first half was very difficult, the French were very good with the ball. They had a lot of possession, they caused a lot of problems on the flanks with their players, and also in the centre," Ouahbi said as per Reuters.
"When we had the ball, our transitions were not so great, so we needed to run a bit more, and they ended up being in a comfort zone," he added.
Ouahbi praised France's quality, admitting they created the better chances and deserved the victory. He said Morocco lacked creativity and sharpness in possession but urged his team to accept the defeat with perspective, noting there was little room for regret after reaching the World Cup quarter-finals.
"We have to recognise that they're a great team. They have excellent players and had better goal-scoring opportunities. We lacked ideas and freshness, to do more when we had possession. We have to accept this defeat. It is hard to talk so soon after the match, but it's also difficult to talk about regrets when we got to the quarter-final," Ouahbi said.
Morocco were semi-finalists four years ago in Qatar when France also beat them.
Ouahbi stressed that Morocco have shown they can compete with the world's best but emphasised the team must continue to improve. While acknowledging France was the better side on the day, he expressed confidence that Morocco can keep progressing and potentially avenge the defeat in a future World Cup.
"With regards to the match plan, we know that we can be on par, but we need to work even harder. We feel that we are able to do so. It is clear that today, France was stronger, but we are able to compete and to progress even further, and maybe to eliminate them four years down the line," Ouahbi added.
Ouahbi urged his players to keep their heads held high after giving everything on the pitch but stressed that Morocco must honestly assess their shortcomings. While expressing pride in the team's effort, he emphasised the need for self-criticism and continuous improvement to take the next step on the world stage.
"I told my players to keep their heads high because we gave our all, we gave our best, but, of course, we need to take stock of the situation, to progress, it's essential. We cannot just say that we're happy and proud of our performance. We need to move forward, and in order to do so, we have to be objective and to do some self-criticism, to assess the situation," Ouahbi concluded.
The result ends Morocco's impressive run after another historic World Cup campaign, while France move one step closer to their title.
The victory sets up France's semi-final clash against either Spain or Belgium.