Morocco stretched their winning run to 15 matches with a narrow 1-0 victory over Bahrain in Rabat. Coach Walid Regragui said the friendly gave his players an important lesson ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.
“It was one-way traffic, but if we don’t score early, we suffer,” Regragui said after the match: “We created around 20 chances but only scored from a set piece. Still, we’re proud to match Germany and Spain’s record – 15 wins in a row.”
He admitted Bahrain made life difficult. “They were organised and compact. We learned a lot because most teams in the AFCON will defend the same way. We need to find better attacking solutions.”
Regragui warned that players who don’t take their chances could lose their spot. “Some players have confidence and credit, but if they just touch the ball without entering the box or scoring, they’ll be watching from the bench next time,” he said bluntly.
The coach also noted his team’s slow start. “We were overconfident and maybe underestimated Bahrain. In football, when you do that, you struggle. But when we brought on En-Nesyri, Ighamane, Talbi, Bensghir and Akhomach, the game changed.”
Despite missing key players like Ounahi, Mazraoui and the ill Aguerd, Regragui said Morocco’s bench gave him options. “We’ve got balance, experience, and young players learning fast. I’m happy we faced a tough match – it helps us improve.”
He had a message for the fans too: “We’ve won late before – against Lesotho, Niger, and now Bahrain. It could happen again in the AFCON. The fans need to believe in us. We’ll fight for the trophy.”
Bahrain coach Dragan Talajić praised Morocco’s quality. “We knew they wanted to keep their winning run, and they showed great strength and pressure,” he said. “My players all come from the local league, and they gave everything. I’m proud of their effort and how they kept Morocco uncomfortable until the end.”
Morocco’s win means they now share the world record of 15 consecutive victories with Spain and Germany.