For Ivic and his charges, the objective now is to salvage pride.

“When you lose two games by five and six goals, there's no satisfaction. We understand the gap between us and our opponents,” Ivic said. “But this has been a very valuable experience. We need to learn from teams like these and how they approach matches with the right mentality to win.

“I commend the players for their defensive discipline and the way we transitioned after recovering the ball. We knew we were up against a strong team, but our players lost focus during the match and it cost us dearly.”

Looking ahead to their match against Wydad, Ivic urged his players to treat it as an opportunity to rebuild confidence and finish on a positive note.

“Wydad are a team that fights for results. I saw that clearly in their first match. We must learn how to play with that mindset and focus on a positive outcome.”

Wydad, meanwhile, will also be aiming to end their campaign with a win after falling short against both European giants. 

While the Moroccan side have shown flashes of resilience, results have not gone their way and they too will be eager to sign off with a performance their supporters can be proud of.

Venue: Audi Field (Washington D.C.)

Kick-off: Sunday, 15:00 (UTC-4)