Great pride in a historic moment for a modern Morocco

A large group of Moroccans in Madrid enjoyed their national football team’s victory over Portugal in the World Cup in Qatar, which will allow them to play a semi-final. Then, several thousand people celebrated at the Puerta del Sol the new achievement of their Atlas lions.

For the first time in history, a team from Africa and the Arab world reached the semi-finals of a World Cup after defeating Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the quarter-finals. In a Madrid room, La Grada, Morocco’s ambassador to Spain, Karima Benyaich, brought together the ambassadors of Qatar, Libya and Ghana to act as a valuable and triumphant representative of African and Arab football.

Businessmen, teachers, professionals and many women and young people did not dare, at the start of the game, to assure that the Atlas Lions could achieve the feat of continuing the winning streak that had allowed them to eliminate European teams as powerful as Belgium and Spain from the World Cup. Their hopes began to materialize when, shortly before half-time, Sevilla’s En-Nesyri headed the game’s only goal.

Flags, T-shirts, music, applause, trumpets, drums and the portrait of Mohamed VI presided over the jubilation and joy of Moroccan supporters, totally devoted to their national team. There was no shortage of the usual Moroccan hospitality, with canapes, sweets, tea, juice and water to make the tension of the match more bearable.

After the usual suffering of the last minutes played with one less man, the dreams came true. The ambassador could not contain her emotion and appreciated the significance of this sporting success: “It is a historic day, a day of great pride, and the players born in Morocco and abroad have become the best ambassadors of a modern country, on the move and representing the entire African continent and the Arab world”.

Karima Benyaich underlined the fundamental role played by King Mohamed VI as the engine of a sports support policy over the years, with investments in sports facilities and management and training equipment, as well as support to the Moroccan players who play in the best European teams, “the lions of the Atlas who have written the history of a modern Morocco on the move” in a brother country like Qatar, which has offered us the best conditions.

Joy, emotion, jubilation, pride in being Moroccan and also in being Spanish, said many young men and women present at a celebration that contributes to strengthening the identity of a people both on its borders and in the community living in Europe.

Football acts as a catalyst and a sociological phenomenon that allows everyone to dream.
“No one can take away from us the fact that we are part of the four best teams in the world”, boasted a young woman who dared to challenge her opponent in the semi-finals, whether it was France or Italy. ‘England.

Fate willed that Morocco’s next opponent in this World Cup would be France, with political, historical and social connotations that will make this semi-final much more than just a football match. This is an important step for the Moroccan people, who already feel as winners and major players in the World Cup in Qatar, whatever the result with France.