The bulk of the 44,198 spectators at Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday night were wearing the red shirt of Morocco, and the stadium was rocking as the North African team created history by defeating Portugal to advance to the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
This accomplishment’s historical significance will be discussed for years to come. Morocco’s national team’s coach, players, and technical staff will live on in football lore for all time, and the continent, geopolitical area, and people will celebrate this ground-breaking phenomenon. Since South Korea accomplished this feat in 2002, this is the first time a nation not located in Europe or South America has advanced this far in the World Cup.
For many, Morocco had done enough by taking Spain to penalties in the Round of 16. However, Montreal-born Yassine Bounou was impressive in the shootout to keep his side in the tournament as Achraf Hakimi sent the Atlas Lions into the quarters — winning their first-ever knockout game at a World Cup.
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But for French-born coach Walid Regragui, his players could do more. He asked for more, and despite missing players Noussair Mazraoui and Nayef Aguerd in the morning before facing Portugal, the players, tired from the previous match, gave it all.
“I spoke with everyone, (Hakim) Ziyech, (Sofyan) Amrabat, I said: ‘Don’t go to this World Cup to play only three games, put that in your mind because it’s very important’,” Regragui told reporters after the match.
“The guy who only comes here to play three games in the World Cup and have fun can’t come with me. That message was spread around the team and in my country now. Then it reached the continent. For that, football is the best sport in the world.”
Morocco coach Walid Regragui. PIC: Ayman Kamel
To eulogise Morocco’s success story so far is to praise Regragui, who took the job three months before the World Cup. The pragmatic, no-nonsense disciplinarian played as a defender for Toulouse, Ajaccio, Dijon and Grenoble, with 45 caps for the Moroccan national team. As a coach, Regragui won the African Champions League title with Wydad Casablanca in May, the second Moroccan coach to achieve such. He is no stranger to Qatar either, as he spent nine months as coach of Al Duhail, winning the QNB Stars League title in a gruelling 2019-20 season blighted by the Coronavirus pandemic.
It is a testament to the 47-year-old’s tactics that Morocco have gone this far at the World Cup. He has succeeded in blending the players born in the diaspora with those born in Morocco — 14 of the 26 players were born outside of Morocco from six different countries. He also persuaded Hakim Ziyech to return to the national team after falling out with former coach Vahid Halihodzic.
A brotherhood thrives with this team, and Regragui knows this. He has orchestrated a giant-killing spree by the North Africans, with Belgium, Spain and Portugal on the receiving end of the Atlas Lions’ march.
“I think it’s my first time crying after a game. I try to control my feelings because I have to lead by example,” Regragui said.
“As a coach, I need to show my strength, but at some point, when you take your country to the semi-finals of a World Cup, I think you can’t control that. We would be lying if we said we really believed in it.”
Morocco are yet to concede a goal from the opponent in Qatar. They have scored five goals with one against, but that was an own goal by Nayef Aguerd during their group match against Canada. They have been dogged, resilient, and tactical and have played with courage – a trait many so-called lesser teams most times lack.
“We play with heart. We may not be the best team in terms of our game plan, but I think we’re a good team in terms of heart and desire and tactics,” Regragui insisted.
“I think that will anger some people, but we have caused major problems for big teams; they haven’t found the antidote to that yet. We’ve only conceded one goal, so that proves that we’re not just lucky. We have done our work.”
Their progress is already a plus for Africa because with the 48-team World Cup in 2026; the continent could be represented by as many as ten teams at the next tournament.
The Atlas Lions have the support of Africa, the Maghrib, the Arab world, and all Muslims to draw from with France in the way.
“They now understand that an African team may go to the semifinals. Why not the conclusion? Dreams have no price. They won’t give it to us, the others. The dream is free, not the large European nations, claimed Regragui.
“To defeat us, the opposing teams will need to be formidable. We’ll see how we are after we recuperate, but if we are 100%, it will be really difficult to defeat us. I want to convey that to the team we’ll be facing next.
