Veteran coach Avram Grant has praised his side's performance despite being knocked out of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast following a 1-0 defeat to Morocco. Speaking in a post-match interview, the former Chelsea manager acknowledged Morocco's strength, referencing their performance at the World Cup, but emphasized his team's effort. "It's not easy to play against them, they showed it at the World Cup, but we did well. We did well in the first half, we managed to close them down, and even though we went a goal down, we created some good attacking opportunities." Zambia managed to contain Morocco's pressure for most of the first half until Hakim Ziyech pounced on a loose ball after goalkeeper Lawrence Mulenga had made an initial save in the 38th minute. Despite the deficit, Zambia showed an improved performance in the second half, dominating much of the play. Coach Grant commended his team's effort in the second half, saying, "We dominated the second half completely. It's tricky to go against such a good team and not score." Zambia finished third in Group F, with Morocco winning the group on seven points, Congo DR second with three points, and Tanzania bottom with two losses. Grant acknowledged the group's difficulty, citing Tanzania's goalless draw against Congo as an example. "There were two teams better than us, and Tanzania was not easy to play against. You saw them draw against Congo. It was a very tough group." Despite missing the previous three editions of the tournament, this young crop of Zambian players has injected belief into the national team's supporters. Grant emphasized the team's progress and expressed his pride in their performance. "Zambia has made a lot of progress, and I'm very proud of the boys. I think everyone in Zambia can be proud of them. They gave everything, and I'm very proud of the players for showing a lot of character." With the majority of the squad still in the early stages of their careers, Zambia will be hoping to build on this experience and make their return to the tournament in 2025.