It’s difficult in this type of situation not to fall into clichés. And while the knockout phase of CAN 2025 begins in Morocco, and the host country is preparing to face Tanzania this Sunday (5 p.m.), Walid Regragui did not cut it, Saturday at a press conference: “We are arriving in the round of 16, it’s a new competition,” he asserted.
If we had to remember just one word from this press conference, it would be this: humility. “We know Tanzania well and we will play with all the humility and respect that we owe to this team,” announced Regragui, despite Morocco’s clear superiority on paper.
“My job, with the staff and the locker room, is to keep my feet on the ground”
“How to avoid the Tanzania trap? Since the start of the competition, I have said for us and the players: this is the CAN of humility, said the Atlas Lions coach. Everyone gives us favorites, everyone says that if we don’t win the CAN, it’s a failure. If we don’t win it easily, it’s a failure. My job, with the staff and the locker room, is to keep my feet on the ground and remember why Morocco has not won the CAN for 50 years. We didn’t do it, because at one point, we lacked humility at times during the competition. It’s only going to come down to that. »
“There are no easy teams, we will play to our strengths so as not to give them the option of creating a surprise. It’s a cup match, there are surprises, but it’s up to us not to give them that chance,” he insisted. A speech undoubtedly reinforced by the setbacks of the Tunisian neighbor, this Saturday evening. In numerical superiority throughout the match and in the lead until the 96th minute, Tunisia was finally knocked out on penalties by Mali (1-1, 3-2 tab).
