The Atlas Lions struggled to match France throughout the contest and rarely threatened in attack as the 2022 runners-up booked their place in the last four.

Ouahbi praised his players for their commitment but said Morocco must learn from the defeat if they want to keep improving.

"I told my players to keep their heads high because we gave our all and we gave our best," Ouahbi said after the match.

"But we need to take stock of the situation. To progress, it is essential. We cannot just say that we are happy and proud of our performance. We need to move forward, be objective and assess the situation."

France controlled possession from the opening whistle and repeatedly caused problems down the wings and through the middle, leaving Morocco chasing the game for long periods.

"We are disappointed, but the first half was very difficult," Ouahbi said. "France were very good on the ball. They had a lot of possession, caused us problems on the flanks and also through the centre.

"When we had the ball, our transitions were not good enough. We needed to run more and they ended up playing in their comfort zone."

Ouahbi accepted that France created the better chances and believed his side lacked the quality needed to hurt one of the tournament favourites.

"We have to recognise that they are a great team," he said. "They have excellent players and created the better scoring opportunities. We lacked ideas and freshness when we had possession. We have to accept this defeat."

Although Morocco were unable to repeat their historic run to the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they were also knocked out by France, Ouahbi believes his players can continue to close the gap on the world's leading teams.

"It is clear that today France were stronger, but we are able to compete and improve even further," he said. "Maybe in four years' time we can eliminate them."

Morocco will have the chance to showcase their progress when they co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.

Ouahbi also praised France's chances of lifting the trophy but stopped short of predicting they would become world champions.

"They want to reach the final and win the trophy, and they have all the qualities," he said. "Now they have to keep going in the next match. They will play either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals. I hope it will be Belgium."

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