The 1-0 victory over Portugal used to be celebrated additional afield, with exuberant fanatics from Abidjan in Ivory Coast to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia praising what they noticed as a ancient win for each Africa and the Arab World.
“They made us happy and proud and they proved that they can make it to the final. Why not? We are so proud of this team that is supported by Africa and Arabs” mentioned Siham Motahir, a tender girl in Rabat, the place cafes had full of fanatics to look at the sport.
To the rhythmic enjoying of a horn, women and men jumped up and down waving the Moroccan flag – a part of a sea of individuals who had crammed Rabat’s town centre, elevating a cacophonous din of triumph.
The win over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal is Morocco’s 3rd over a extremely ranked European crew within the match, a run that had introduced satisfaction each in Morocco and for Africans and Arabs extra broadly.
African Union President Macky Sall wrote on Twitter, the use of capital letters to emphasise his pleasure: “HISTORIC! AND FANTASTIC! THE ATLAS LIONS ARE QUALIFIED FOR THE SEMI-FINALS OF THE WORLD CUP! BRAVO MOROCCO.”
HISTORIQUE! ET FANTASTIQUE! LES LIONS DE L’ATLAS SONT QUALIFIÉS EN DEMI FINALE DE LA COUPE DU MONDE! BRAVO LE MAROC.
— Macky Sall (@Macky_Sall) 1670691545000
Arab and African political and wearing leaders paid tribute to Morocco, together with tweets from the top ministers of Libya, Iraq and the Palestinian Authority and the rulers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Former Ivory Coast soccer celebrity Didier Drogba tweeted, “They did it!!!! Well done Morocco for this feat. Long live Africa.”
In an Abidjan cafe the place other people had been looking at the sport and consuming beer to have fun the win, buyer Jules Goule mentioned Ivorians had been pleased with Morocco’s win. “Through Morocco Africa has just shown that it can compete with other continents in football,” he mentioned.
Ça y est, ils l’ont fait!!!!bravo le Maroc @FRMFOFFICIEL pour cet exploit Vive l’Afrique
— Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) 1670691436000
ARAB AND AFRICAN JOY
“Waoh, waoh… Morocco! It’s with great joy! Africa is shining! Go Africa!” shouted Agwe Jefferson, 28, a motive force in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde.
In Libya, a crowd looking at the sport within the port town of Misrata lit crimson flares and waved Libyan and Moroccan flags, whilst within the Tunisian capital other people celebrated the victory.
“Today Morocco honored Africans and Arabs and made the dream we all have possible,” mentioned Ameur Souilam in Tunis.
Mother & Son ❤️❤️🇲🇦🇲🇦#Morocco #المغرب https://t.co/6Yeof4SQlF
— Ihtishamm Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) 1670694059000
Meanwhile within the territories of Palestine and Israel, hundreds of other people packed cafes, eating places and soccer stadiums screening the fit, bursting into cheers with Morocco’s triumph. After its earlier win, Morocco’s crew had posed with the Palestinian flag.
“Seeing the Palestinian flag being waved by Morocco footballers made us feel as if we won,” mentioned Gaza businessman Imad Joudat.
In the Edgware Road district of London, lengthy a middle of the town’s Arab group, the road used to be jammed with vehicles honking horns and waving flags and in Paris chanting and cheering Moroccan fanatics crammed the Champs Elysees.
SINGING, FLAG WAVING, CHEERING
Moroccan fanatics erupted when Youssef En-Nesyri scored the sport’s most effective objective. In the Jmaa al-Fnaa, the ancient major sq. of Marrakech the place government had submit a large display for fanatics, hundreds of other people leaped up and down because the ball went in.
As the sport wound on, Morocco fanatics within the stadium screamed “Ole, ole, ole!” in unison, drowning out the handful of Portuguese fanatics and whistling every time Portugal took ownership of the ball.
Behind the 2 targets, banks of Moroccan supporters stood for all the fit with drummers and fan leaders coordinating the chants.
Morocco fanatics 🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/0DntKLvMnv
— Aziz Farah (@azizfaarah) 1669915889000
One guy dressed in the crimson and inexperienced of Morocco’s nationwide flag and its soccer equipment raised his arms in supplication as the overall mins ticked away, shouting “O God, o God”.
In the media field, a safety guard, screaming with triumph, hugged a Moroccan journalist who used to be weeping with happiness.
As Moroccan participant Jawad El Yamiq turned around the pitch with a half-Moroccan, half-Qatari flag draped round his shoulders, one fan stood immobile, taking a look out over the pitch together with his arms over his mouth as though not able to absorb the dimensions of the win.
Outside the stadium a drummer led fanatics in a chant of “Go, go, go” sooner than they sang “Al-Andalus al-Andalus” – the identify of the ancient Muslim state as soon as ruling Spain and Portugal, the 2 groups Morocco has now knocked out.
Incredible scenes in Rabat, Morocco 🇲🇦 of fanatics celebrating reserving their spot to the quarter-finals for the primary t… https://t.co/P5Gr2yhIYr
— Mimi Fawaz (@MimosaFawaz) 1670355389000
With many Moroccans dwelling and dealing within the Gulf, Morocco’s World Cup suits have felt like home-team video games and Ismail Chakour, a Dubai-based banker, mentioned he were decided to wait the fit “whatever the cost”.
In Rabat, blissful fanatics thronged the streets and headed in opposition to the downtown sq. the place Morocco’s victories are celebrated.
Children had been hoisted onto folks’ shoulders and bounced up and down with the remainder of the gang, making a song songs and waving flags.
“The last few minutes felt like hours,” mentioned Samir Saqri as he joined a crowd pouring out from the cafe the place they’d watched the sport to move downtown.