Morocco coach Regragui: Third place match is stupid

The North Africans lost 2-0 to France in the semifinal at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday night, after the Croatians suffered a 3-0 demolition at the hands of Argentina the night prior.

Regragui says it’s hugely challenging to expect teams to play just days after facing the disappointment of missing out on the final.

“To be honest and get straight to the point, this third-place match annoys me a bit. It's always really tough for both teams, whether it's Croatia or us, to play two days after the disappointment of losing a semi final,” said the 47-year-old ahead of the clash.

“I'll be blunt, it's pretty stupid. It doesn't matter if we finish third or fourth.”

The coach, who became the first to guide an African nation beyond the last 8 at the global showpiece, says people only remember the team that lifts the trophy.

“Obviously, it means something. Some people would always prefer to finish third rather than fourth. But the only thing I can think about is that we're not in the World Cup final,” he added.

“And even if we were in the final and we finished second, I'd say the same thing. In the end, we only remember who won. We lost.”

However, he vows that Morocco will do everything in their power to represent their nation with pride as it will be great for them to be the third-best side in the world.

“We're trying to be as positive as we can, and try to give our fans something by winning third place. It would be great to be ranked third in the world. 

“But in the end, we didn't win, and we didn't get over that final hurdle. So it's always tough to dress up for this famous third-place play-off.

“But it's our job as coaches - and yours as journalists - to say it's an important match. But, honestly, we wanted to play the day after tomorrow, in the final. 

“But, on the positive side, as I've been telling the players, we're about to play our seventh World Cup game in a month. And it's 16 December. And if you told any Moroccan that we'd be playing in Doha on 17 December, I think they'd be more than proud and delighted,” he explained.

Regragui says he was really disappointed not to make it to the final as he is an ambitious person.

“I'm a competitive person, and I still need to learn how to accept defeat. You'll think I'm mad, but I really thought we could win the World Cup after beating Portugal,” he concluded.