Morocco coach Herve Renard says his team deserves praise despite bowing out of the Fifa 2018 World Cup with just a single point.
Morocco lost to Portugal and Iran (1-0) before suffering a late equaliser against Spain in their last group B game and the French man is nevertheless happy.
Against Spain, the 2010 World Champions, Morocco led twice but were denied by a controversial late goal from Iago Aspas.
“We suffered, as every team that plays against Spain suffers, because their line-up is a mix of Real Madrid and Barcelona players – all exceptional,” admitted Renard.
“But I think our players, the whole team, should be commended for this game and the entire World Cup.
The former Zambia and Ivory Coast tactician also hinted at the lack of experience as reason for some results that didn’t go their way.
“We’ve lacked a bit of experience and there were games we should have had better results in. But we’ve shown that we can take on two of the best teams in the world, Portugal and Spain, and represent Morocco well.
Morocco have been arguably the unluckiest African side in the competition with narrow losses to Iran and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal before the unfortunate draw with Spain.