Morocco’s dream of matching their historic 2022 FIFA World Cup run came to an end on Thursday after a 2-0 quarterfinal defeat to France, with head coach Mohamed Ouahbi conceding that Les Bleus were the better side.

France dominated large spells of the contest before Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé scored in the second half to send the 2022 finalists into the semifinals, ending Morocco’s campaign as Africa’s last remaining representatives.

Reflecting on the defeat, Ouahbi admitted his side lacked the creativity and energy needed to trouble France.

“Well, you have to admit that they had the best chances. They were very effective in transitions too,” Ouahbi said after the match. “We lacked ideas; we lacked freshness to maybe be able to do more with the ball.”

Ouahbi also addressed Morocco’s handball appeals in the build-up to Mbappé’s opening goal but acknowledged that France deserved their victory.

“They could have scored earlier, of course; they had chances, but it’s true that the goal came at a moment when there was an impression that some players stopped and were appealing for a handball. It’s a shame. Then, there’s the move; there’s the individual move from Mbappé. We would have liked to maybe hold on a bit, see a little bit if we were capable of holding on without conceding.

“It’s clear that today, they were stronger, stronger than us and we have to accept it, but we feel capable of improving, of going even further and, why not in four years time, of competing and being able to eliminate them.”

Looking ahead, the Morocco coach shifted his focus to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, which begin in September, insisting his ambition is to guide the Atlas Lions to continental glory before the 2030 World Cup.

“I think that before the [2030 World Cup], there is still an Africa Cup of Nations. There are qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations. I think that if we want to get to 2030 in good shape, we need to prepare well for the next matches, continue to build, continue to perform, qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, and try to win it,” he said.

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