Rabat – Morocco may have left the 2022 World Cup after its loss against France, but the team’s performance continues to grab international attention and headlines.
Writing for the New York Times, Rory Smith declared that as the Atlas Lions’ journey comes to an end, “this World Cup, Morocco’s World Cup, will be remembered, instead, as a beginning.”
“From this point on, a whole slew of achievements will all be the first since Morocco,” Smith said, emphasizing the historic significance of Morocco’s run that saw the country become the first from Africa or the Arab world to reach the semi-final.
Morocco was the first Arab country and only the fourth African one to ever reach the quarter-finals and could further make history by being the first one to have a place on the podium come Saturday.
Smith also highlighted the sense of unity that Arab and African fans got from following the Moroccan team.
When France scored its second goal on Wednesday and sealed its place in the final, hearts broke “from Agadir to Amman and Cairo to Cape Town,” Smith said.
Regardless, the tens of thousands of supporters who were in the Al Bayt Stadium to cheer for the Moroccan team gave the players, and their coach Walid Regragui, a loud ovation, and an outpouring of “gratitude and pride.”
Smith highlighted the struggles that Morocco faced to reach this stage of the competition. Despite injuries to some of the team’s vital defensive players, and exhaustion from the matches, Morocco still managed to overcome the significant hurdles of Spain and Portugal, all while keeping their sheets clean in both games.
Even in the match against France, which ended in defeat, the team played valiantly, troubling France’s defenses on several occasions.
“Deep into injury time, all hope almost extinguished, it carved out not one, not two, but three golden opportunities to score, to jar French nerves, to bring its fans — old and new, here and there — one last cause for celebration,” Smith wrote.
Morocco’s historic World Cup performance has made headlines worldwide, with the Moroccan team becoming the darling of supporters who were rooting for an underdog to win the global tournament.
After topping group F which had the Croatian, Canadian, and Belgian teams, Morocco defeated Spain in the round of 16 in a penalty shootout where they did not concede once.
The team then defeated Portugal 1-0, ending superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s hopes of crowning his illustrious career with a World Cup triumph.
Following the game, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI paid a tribute to the team, expressing pride and thanks to the team and Regragui for “their brilliant achievements.”
All eyes will be on Morocco – and other African and Arab countries – in the next major international tournaments, to see how this historic run could end up impacting the future of Moroccan, African, and Arab football.
