Mourinho: AS Roma Boss Impressed by Morocco's Coach and Fighting Spirit

• Jose Mourinho lauded Morocco's coach Walid Regragui and his side's fighting spirit
• Regragui guided the Atlas Lions to the semi-finals and also made World Cup history
• Mourinho has reportedly been offered a national coaching job by a European nation

AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho has praised Morocco for their impressive performance at the ongoing 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The celebrated tactician has been left in awe of the overall output of the North Africans, who beat Mourinho's home nation - Portugal - to reach a historic semi-final berth at the Mundial.

Despite not scoring many goals, the Atlas Lions have been resilient and proven a hard nut to crack, going past Belgium, Spain and Portugal to reach the last four.

Their spirited display has won the hearts of many football followers, including ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid manager Mourinho.

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“When I saw the game [against Portugal] starting and the team without [Noussair] Mazraoui and [Nayef] Aguerd, I thought problems to Morocco but it was not a problem,” said Mourinho via GOAL.

“When I saw [Romain] Saiss at the beginning of the second half - their captain; their leader - the centre-back, a crucial position in that kind of match... When I saw him leave also injured, I thought big problems for them but it was not a problem."

The 59-year-old manager was particularly impressed by Walid Regragui's tactical nous in Morocco's game against Portugal.

He lauded the Atlas Lions boss for organising the team well and adapting from a 4-3-3 formation to a 5-4-1 approach.

“He saw the danger; he saw Portugal accumulating lots of players in finishing areas and he found a way to control the game."

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Mourinho lauds Morocco's unsung hero

Jose Mourinho has heaped praise on Morocco midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, who has been a huge revelation for the Atlas Lions at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The celebrated Portuguese manager was left in awe of the midfielder's domineering performance in the middle of the park for the North Africans.

Ounahi, who has been the unsung hero in the Atlas Lions' stunning World Cup campaign, wowed Spain boss Luis Enrique in the last 16 and continued in a similar fashion against Portugal.

Morocco coach eyes World Cup finals

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Morocco manager Regragui is optimistic about guiding his side to the finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Regragui labelled his team 'the Rocky Balboa of this World Cup', after becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of Mundial and upsetting Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.

The 47-year-old tactician is upbeat about his side's chances of further upsetting the odds, when they cross paths with France in Wednesday's semi-final tie.