“I told the players,” Walid Regragui stated after his first defeat as Morocco’s head trainer on the 2022 World Cup semi-final, “I was proud of them, his majesty is proud, the Moroccan people are proud, the whole world is proud .”
It’s possibly no exaggeration to consider that masses extra around the world as opposed to the 68,000-plus assembled on the Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday evening gave a quiet applause for the Atlas Lions. For even within the 2-0 defeat to protecting champions France, the standard Moroccan spirit of this Qatar World Cup have been the rest however misplaced.
Between the Fifth-minute opener and the 79th-minute 2d French strike that close the door on them, Morocco appeared the mighty Les Bleus within the eye and threatened to grab the early lead from their sight. They had extra ownership and only one fewer strive on objective to France’s 14. They had some resolute French protection and the bar deny them a objective that gave the impression to be coming in opposition to the tip of the primary part and for far of the second one. They had, within the truest sense of that cliched time period, given it their all available in the market.
What else explains their heavily-strapped captain Romain Saiss soldiering on for 20 mins after beginning regardless of being visibly hampered via the hamstring harm. Or the crew preserving directly to its personal even after shedding its key defender in Nayef Aguerd moments prior to kickoff. Or a couple of French avid gamers breaking clear of their celebrations after the whistle to boost the dejected Moroccan avid gamers slumped to the grass. Or Morocco’s avid gamers acknowledging the wave of purple and inexperienced around the stadium—cheering for their very own all night time and diminished to tears via the tip—lengthy after the feelings had settled and the French had left.
If no longer for the gradual get started and a few moments of person brilliance from Theo Hernandez and Kylian Mbappe in that 2d objective lend a hand, Morocco could have had one thing extra to turn than the 2-0 scoreline from a degree that they had by no means been to prior to. Yet from the Arab World Cup the place they become the primary African country to achieve the semi-finals whilst uniting the folks of each areas in delight, that they had masses to turn.
“My players gave everything, and they went as far as they could,” Regragui stated. “I really wanted to rewrite the history books, but you can’t win a World Cup with miracles. You need to do it through hard work. “
Morocco’s World Cup adventure over the past 3 weeks went from wonder in matching the 2018 version finalists and beating the semi-finalists within the crew degree, to fairytale in making the remaining 8 via knocking out a powerhouse, to trust of going all of the manner after the quarter-final. In beating Belgium and Canada after a stalemate with Croatia, Spain within the Round of 16 and Portugal within the remaining 8, the Morocco World Cup luck tale is in contrast to many underdog stories of the previous.
“Forty million fans were behind them,” Ahmed Jahouh, Mumbai City FC’s Moroccan midfielder who used to be a part of his nationwide crew’s 2012 Arab Nations Cup triumph, stated in a talk. “They deserve it. We were hoping to just get into the second round, but it soon changed to, ‘maybe we can win the World Cup’. It’s nice to see the Moroccan team growing like that. I still can’t believe it. . But this is a very good Morocco team with a very good coach.”
That trainer, appointed 3 months prior to the World Cup, used to be on the middle of the transformation and run of this crew. No surprise Regragui too walked together with his head held prime after the loss. “We played honest, hard-working football,” Regragui stated. “I think we’ve given a good image of Morocco and a good image of African football.”
That symbol of Morocco’s avid gamers combating for each and every ball, striking their our bodies at the line, dancing with their moms after suits, and scripting one well-known victory after any other to earn their position within the historical past books will endlessly be etched in our reminiscences of this World Cup .
“I am proud to be Moroccan and to represent this country in India,” Jahouh, taking part in within the ongoing Indian Super League, stated. “Now, many people know about Morocco and football in Morocco.”