[한국강사신문 한상형 기자] According to Yonhap News, Morocco (22nd in FIFA rankings), the ‘Lion of Atlas’, defeated Portugal (9th in FIFA rankings) and advanced to the semifinals for the first time in the Arab world and the first time on the African continent.
According to foreign media such as the Associated Press on the 10th (local time), when Morocco defeated Portugal and advanced to the World Cup semifinals, football fans from across Morocco, including the capital Rabat, came out to the streets, waving national flags, honking horns, and setting off firecrackers, thrilled. It was cold.
Rabat citizen Mohamed Amin said, “I felt the same stress as playing in the stadium with the players. Now I want the trophy.”
Another football fan, Yasmin Benmehrez, said, “I am so happy I can’t express it in words. As long as we are here, we will go to the finals and I think we can lift the World Cup.”
“My heart stopped. Great team, great strength, great achievement,” Ilham El Idrisi, who cheered in the nearby city of Casablanca, told AFP.
“Nothing is impossible in football. That is the magic of football,” emphasized former national team player Abderazak Qairi, who scored once morest Portugal at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Moroccan fans cheering in Doha, Qatar, where the game was held, were also thrilled. Near the Assumama Stadium in Doha, hundreds of Moroccan fans beat drums and waved national flags to celebrate the victory.
“Congratulations on our start. The win streak will continue,” said one fan.
Fans from other Arab countries might not hide their joy at Morocco’s progress to the semifinals, which was the first in the Arab world.
“I can’t believe it,” said Saleh Al-Rayes from Saudi Arabia. “(Morocco) came here as an underdog and won. It’s the pride of the Arab world. All Arab countries support Morocco. I am doing it,” he cheered.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) tweeted: “History of the continent”, while the president of the African Union, Senegalese President Macky Sall, called it “historic and fantastic”.