Walid Regragui: Morocco Coach Insists Africa Can Give Europe, South America a Run for Their Money

• Morocco boss Walid Regragui etched his name into the history books after achieving a massive World Cup feat following the Atlas Lions' stunning round of 16 victory over Spain
• Since Regragui took charge of Morocco on August 31, his side has conceded just a solitary goal including four games at the 2022 World Cup
• Morocco is the fourth African team to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup after Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010

Morocco manager Walid Regragui is confident African countries can give European and South American nations a good run for their money at the World Cup.

Regragui masterminded a landmark feat with the Atlas Lions of Morocco on Tuesday, December 6, becoming the first-ever African country to win a knockout match via penalties.

The ex-Wydad Casablanca coach and his charges achieved the remarkable feat at the expense of former world champions Spain, as noted by Supersport.

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Despite Africa's below-par performance at the 2022 World Cup, Morocco have been the shining light at the Mundial, finishing top of their group before eliminating Spain.

"Just to say I'm not here to be a politician, we represent Morocco and obviously Morocco and Moroccans are my priority" Regragui said via GOAL.

" But obviously, we're also African like Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon and Tunisia, so we hope to fly the flag of African football high," he added.

The 47-year-old tactician reckons his side and other African nations have given a good account of themselves.

"Often African football has been described as sub-par, not as good as elsewhere, but in this World Cup, I think we've shown we can give anyone a run for their money.

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"We're talking about European teams, South American teams, and I hope in the future we'll be seeing more African teams. Why not an African World Cup champion in the future?"

Morocco sets World Cup milestone

Morocco became the first African nation to win on penalty shootouts in the history of the World Cup.

The Atlas Lions achieved this long-awaited milestone by beating Spain 3-0 on penalties after a nerve-shredding 90 minutes plus 30 minutes of extra time.

Walid Regragui's charges sailed through the group stages unbeaten, finishing at the summit of Group F ahead of a star-studded Belgium team, 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia and minnows Canada.

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Earlier, Sports Brief reported that King Mohammed VI has congratulated Moroccan players, following their stunning victory over Spain to reach the quarter-final stage of the World Cup for the first time in their history.

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The Atlas Lions defeated the tournament favourites via a penalty shootout after the tie had ended 0-0 in regulation time.

The North Africans continued their fairytale at the global showpiece, becoming the first African nation to win on penalty shootouts in the history of the World Cup.