Diaz could be the key for Morocco in Afcon final against Senegal

Morocco coach Walid Regragui is predicting that Brahim Diaz could be the catalyst for his side as they bid to win the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in half a century on Sunday.

Diaz is the top scorer at the tournament with five goals in six matches but it has been his dribbling play and constant probing of opposing defences that have seen him emerge as one of the best players over the last month of competition.

Morocco take on Senegal in Rabat in Sunday’s final and the pressure is on the Real Madrid midfielder to deliver for the hosts, whose only previous Cup of Nations success was in 1976.

“His mentality is strong, he plays with a lot of desire,” Regragui said of Diaz in Saturday’s pre-match press conference.

“He knows he has to make a difference. The most important thing is how he orchestrates the attacking phases.”

Diaz is a former Spain international, with a father from Morocco, who was persuaded to switch his international allegiance two years ago.

“I’m happy because three years ago there was the project of coming to play for Morocco. There were people who wanted him here, he felt he could help us win titles and play in the World Cup and that’s what happened,” Regragui added.

Top-ranked Morocco have at times in the tournament looked to be struggling under the weight of expectation but put on convincing performances in both the quarter-final and semi-final to advance to the deciding game.

“It will be about managing emotions. The team under pressure is Morocco, we’re playing at home but we mustn’t put pressure on ourselves.

“The players understand that they need to relax. That’s my only fear. We’re going to be facing a team that’s used to playing in finals, that is confident.

“Senegal are strong. It will be a great final, it’s 50-50. We might have a 51% chance with the crowd,” the coach added.

Regragui also admitted that getting so close to success after decades of missed opportunity for Morocco meant it was imperative to win Sunday’s final,

“We’ve been a winning team for a while now. We don’t want to miss out on this chance,” he said.