Benshrifah: "The derby is won, not played."

Mohamed Bencherifa, the coach of Wydad Athletic Club, confirmed that his players showed a strong character and high fighting spirit during their victory over Raja Athletic Club with a score of one goal to none in the Casablanca derby that brought the two sides together on Saturday, as part of the 20th round of the professional football league.

Bencherifa said in the press conference following the match: “Thank God, since the officials contacted me, I couldn't refuse the request, because it concerns the mother team, the team I grew up in, and even though I came in a difficult situation, I had confidence in the work and in the accompanying staff.”

He added: “Derbies are decided by small details, and Raja is an organized team with players who have great individual skills, but we worked a lot on the mental aspect, and even before leaving the hotel, we watched special clips about derby matches and their impact.”

The same speaker continued: “We told the players that they need to be focused on the field and make the opponent feel their presence, because derby matches are won, not played, and it is not easy to defend against Raja and leave them with the ball for long periods; it requires a lot of effort.”

Bencherifa pointed out that the Wydad fans played an important role in motivating the players, saying: “When the fans came to the Benjelloun complex and celebrated with the players, it gave the group a great moral boost to achieve victory.”

The coach of the "Red Team" also explained that his previous experience as a player within Wydad helped him convey important messages to the group, adding: “Since I am a son of the team and played in derby matches and scored in them, I tried to ease the pressure on the players and convey some details that a player experiences in this type of match.”

For his part, South African coach Fadlu Davis of Raja expressed his disappointment after the defeat, indicating that his team lost focus at the moment of the goal that decided the match.

Davis said: “This is the most painful loss we have suffered this season; it was disappointing for us, as at the moment Wydad scored the goal, we were having a good period in the match, and despite that, we tried to come back in the second half but we couldn't.”

The Raja coach added: “We talked to the players before the match about the necessity of starting with great focus from the beginning, because such matches are decided by small details, but we lost focus in positioning during the moment of the goal.”

He continued: “We warned the players before the match about the danger of set pieces and second balls, and we should have dealt with that moment better, but now we have to take the necessary lessons... the better team lost, but the league race is still ongoing.”