- Thousands of Moroccan football fans celebrated their team’s entry into the World Cup semi-finals on the streets of Casablanca.
- The flag was waved proudly. Again and again the supporters shouted exuberantly: “We are qualified!”
- Morocco surprisingly beat Portugal 1-0 in Doha on Saturday.
The success of the “Lions of Atlas” is historic, because never before has a team from the African continent reached the semi-finals of a World Cup. The celebrations in Morocco began immediately after the final whistle, and the kingdom was in a frenzy.
In the course of the tournament in Qatar, the North Africans had beaten, among others, World Cup third-placed Belgium, former world champions Spain and now Portugal around superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, the 2016 European Championship champion.
Celebrate in Europe too
In Casablanca, the red flags with the green star were everywhere in the windows of the houses, in the markets and the stalls. The country’s new heroes are manager Walid Regragui, Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech and ex-Dortmunder Achraf Hakimi from Paris St. Germain.
The success of the Moroccans has been celebrated in many places in the Arab world, including in Palestine, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and Ramallah. There the victory of the Moroccans was celebrated with fireworks, cheers and the roar of powerful horns. In Morocco, the flag of Palestine was also seen again and again at the celebrations.
In Paris, too, many Moroccans celebrated the World Cup triumph on the Champs-Élysées, and the North Africans also celebrated in Italy. They ignited bangers and firecrackers, banged loudly and waved the Moroccan flag on the streets and squares.
However, a 30-year-old was stabbed in the crowd and was taken to the hospital. Italian media reported that his condition was critical. In Bologna there were motorcades and horn concerts. Moroccans took to the streets in several towns in the northern Italian region of Liguria, home to a large Moroccan community.