Algeria’s head coach Arezki Remmane was visibly dejected after the hosts’ journey at the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) ended following a 3-0 defeat to Morocco in Constantine on Wednesday night.
Remmane says he takes full responsibility of the loss, noting that the players gave a good fight and did everything possible to battle for a respectable result, but things didn’t go their way.
However, he says the players will take the tough lessons from the defeat in their stride, and it will work to see them improve individually and as a team in future.
“I am sorry to the public because we would have loved to make them happy with a good result and stay in the competition. We played the best we could and everyone did their part to get a good result, but fate did not allow us. I take whole responsibility for this result because the players gave their all,” the coach said after the defeat.
He adds; “I am not someone who makes excuses for myself. This is a learning experience and we will take the lessons and move forward. If we can’t learn from this, then it is impossible to improve.”
The tactician has admitted that the Moroccans were more improved than them, compared to their last meeting in the final of the U17 Arab Cup where Algeria won on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
Looking back at the match, the tactician says that conceding the first goal threw them off balance and they found it hard to bounce back.
“We started very well and were organized and Morocco scored at a time when we were controlling the game very well. We had some individual mistakes and at this level it is unforgivable. When you make a mistake, you pay for it. This is how football is. The players are young and they will learn. I will not question their desire and fighting spirit because they did their best,” noted the tactician.
Remmane says he will not pick up the pieces from the defeat, do his own postmortem and work to improve the team further, even as they move to the next age bracket.