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With its feat against Portugal on Saturday December 10 (1-0), Morocco is in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Walid Regragui’s men wrote history by becoming the first African nation to reach the last four.
From our special envoy to Qatar,
Cristiano Ronaldo’s tears, Pepe’s sadness. Consequences of an African team that has created a major feat in Qatarfor the first time since the creation of the Mondial in 1930.
Morocco is in the semi-finals, something unthinkable when the Atlas Lions had set foot on Qatari soil, with only dreams in mind. But for the men of Walid Regragui, it is now reality.
« We knew we had to overcome the challenges of Morocco, which Spain did notPortuguese coach Fernando Santos commented at a press conference. In the second half, we tried to turn things around. We had four or five chances and luck was not on our side. In added time we saw our players anxious and there was no success. After a fantastic first round, Morocco got rid of Spain in the round of 16 and today Portugal in the quarters.
“We have changed mentalities”
« It’s hard to find the words right now, we’ll rest and wait for what’s next, says Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. Thank you to all our players who were still at the level. Don’t pinch me, because I’m dreaming. Today we can face all the teams in the world. We have changed mentalities. We provided the greatest performance on the lawn. »
« The team did a fantastic job, with desire, with passion. We took advantage of the energy of the public, the good vibes. We will have to recover before facing a new great team. This is the World Cup “Slips Walid Regragui, tears in his eyes, who believes he has pleased the entire African continent.
« I don’t think we realize what is happening to us. We are in our bubble, focused on the next game. We want to go as far as possible and we can do it “, says Selim Amallah, attacking midfielder at Standard de Liège.
« We played with our heart »
While Cameroon, Tunisia and Ghana exited in the first round, and Senegal in the round of 16, Morocco managed to break the glass ceiling, thanks in particular to Yacine Bounou, voted man of the match against the Portuguese. In five games, the Sevilla FC goalkeeper has four clean sheets. He quickly entered his match by boxing a diving header from Joao Félix, found on a free kick from Bruno Fernandes in the fourth minute.
« It’s madness, it’s history, you play football to live moments like that. We have shown that we have quality and we must no longer have any complexes. Like all African teams, we played with our hearts », comments Captain Romain Saiss, who also thanks all the supporters. Against Morocco, Portugal, which had always scored at least one goal in its last ten World Cup finals matches, never found the fault.
