Morocco’s World Cup dream is over, however, “there are no tears today, because we are so proud of what these players have done”, a Morocco fan, Mohammed, said.
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| Morocco is the first African and Arab nation to reach the world Cup semi finals. Photo: @fifaworldcup |
The Atlas Lions have shocked the world of football with an unbelievable FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign which came to an end after a 0-2 loss to defending champions, France, in the semi final match at the Al Bayt Stadium, Qatar.
Head Coach Walid Regragui’s men had made history by emerging as the first African and Arab nation to reach the semi finals of the World Cup.
Morocco head coach, Regragui, said: “We pulled out the stops and gave everything. “We did cause them problems and that is quite an achievement.
“My players gave a very good image of the team, a showcase of their quality. It is difficult to take, they wanted to rewrite history books.
“We realise we made a great achievement. We saw the pictures in the media, television and social media and saw everyone was proud of us. We wanted to keep the Moroccan people’s dream alive and we are disappointed.
“You can’t win a World Cup by miracles, only by hard work – and that is what we will keep doing.”
Former England striker, Alan Shearer, said: “Morocco can be very, very proud of what they’ve done and achieved, and the effort that they’ve put in – not just today, but in the whole tournament.
“Their fans have had a fantastic time and really enjoyed it. Their team have just come short because of their lack of quality in the final third.”
A Morocco fan, Mohammed, said: “Saturday is what they call a losers’ game.
“A third-place finish would mean the world to us because we have achieved the unexpected.
“There are no tears today, because we are so proud of what these players have done for the fans and the country.”
