Cries of joy late into the night. On Tuesday in Casablanca, fans couldn’t get over Morocco’s historic penalty shootout victory over Spain, a game previously only seen by football’s big names, including Brazil, Argentina, France and Portugal. It was brought to the final table I was attending.
“What we are seeing today is amazing. Even in my dreams, I could not have imagined such a feat with a team that had just been reorganized with the arrival of a new coach. I just wanted to put on a good tournament, but now my ambitions are bigger, and even if I beat Switzerland or Portugal in the semi-finals, I’m ready, and with the support of the fans in Qatar and here, I’ll have that fighting spirit. If you can keep it up, you will go far in the competition, explains Moulay Ahmed Ben Mamoune, a fan who came with his children.
The victory gave this Moroccan team a better performance than their predecessors. And for the first time in its history, the country reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
“It was a tough game with one team dominating and the other defending. And what made the match even more difficult was the injury to the Moroccan player, which required some changes. However, when it comes to penalties, it’s a matter of luck for both of us and luckily, we have a goalkeeper who made the difference in that game and won and qualified,” said sports journalist Mounir oubri.
It is a historic achievement for Morocco to match the best performance by an African nation at the World Cup and is expected to beat Portugal to reach the semi-finals.