History was made by Morocco, the first African and first Arab team to advance to a semi-final at the men’s football World Cup.
The Atlas Lions, endowed with impeccable organisation and defensive will, creative midfield passing, speedy offence and the rousing racket of its fans, broke the elusive World Cup glass ceiling against Portugal to face France in the final four in Qatar.
The sound of the Moroccan fans has become a lifeblood coursing through the first World Cup to be staged in the Arab world. As magical as Morocco’s win seems, one should not ignore the reality that no team has scored against them (save for an own goal while defeating Canada). The team has controlled the field of play all along, stamping its authority with unimaginable flair and controlled composure.
There are six notable forces that have driven their success.
1. Team spirit
Morocco has demonstrated the ultimate collective team spirit to eliminate higher ranked teams that boasted a generous supply of star individual talents – Belgium, Spain, Portugal. What Morocco lacks in stardom was compensated by sheer desire to win and technical application by the whole team.
Their quarter-final goal, coming after repeated defensive pressure, was scored in the 42nd minute. Some good touches led to Yahya Attiat Allah fielding the ball, controlling it and then sending a cross into the box. There, Youssef En-Nesyri seemed to rise forever above the outstretched hands of the tall Portuguese defenders, to head it in from the centre. The fluid passing was beautiful to watch, leaving Portugal bewildered and eliciting pandemonium in the stadium that rippled around the world.
2. Driven by history
Motivated by a desire to go past the quarter-final, Morocca had to learn from history. The last three African sides to reach World Cup quarter-finals – Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010 – had gone out in the most painful manner, in overtime. In each of these cases, the African teams lacked the composure to see through their leads.
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The Atlas Lions defended with all of their hearts and then scored, preventing any possibility of overtime. Even injuries – and striker Walid Cheddira being sent off after a second yellow card – did not destabilise the defensive rhythm of the team. Portugal, including star player Cristiano Ronaldo, could not find the equaliser. From the beginning, the Moroccans looked determined that history would be made.
3. Defences win championships
Heading into the semi-finals, only Morocco and Croatia, who drew in the first round, remain unbeaten. In the round of 16, they eliminated Spain on penalty kicks, where their goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made huge saves to propel Morocco to the quarter-finals. The elimination of Portugal, just like Spain, came on the back of a solid defence that conceded no goals.
It is often said that defences win championships. If that’s the case then Morocco has the qualifications to win it all. But they must believe in their strengths and summon sufficient energy to defend for long stretches of time in the upcoming matches. So far, their ball possession has been 22% against Spain and 23% against Portugal, which speaks to their defensive discipline and efficient execution at scoring. The low possession percentages also show that having plenty of ball possession is not a guarantee for victory. However, taking leads also allows the team to narrow spaces, forcing the opposition to run more – and then be hit on the counter attack.
4. Fans are the 12th player
Morocco finds itself in the unique position of carrying the dual hopes of the Arab region as well as the African continent. The quarter-final felt like a home game for Morocco, with the team’s supporters dominating in the stands. The Moroccan fans cheered the team, jeered Portuguese players and relentlessly willed on their heroes.
After the final whistle, the stadium erupted as thousands jumped up and down, hugging and embracing. With fans acting as the 12th player for Morocco, it would not be a big shock if the Atlas Lions can dig deep and mount one more upset to make it to the finals. Out of the four countries remaining, Argentina and France are the only ones to have lifted the trophy. Croatia and Morocco are underdogs, but they are the people’s favourite teams in Qatar. Either of them could open a new chapter in the history of the World Cup.
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5. Star performers
Despite the pressure of bearing the burden of history, the Atlas Lions has demonstrated that they have the technical and tactical capacity to cope. Indeed, the team has been steady, organised, serene, defensively sound, creative in midfield and smart and efficient in attack. Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, Azzedine Ounahi, Romain Saiss, Sofyan Amrabat, En-Nesyri and Hakim Ziyech have been Morocco’s stand out performers.
Historically, Morocco has been a trailblazer at the World Cup for Africa and were not fazed by Spain and Portugal. This team will present a difficult challenge for France in the last four on Wednesday.
6. Local coaching
If the Cinderella story continues, it will be because coach Walid Regragui has installed an effective defend-and-counter style that none of their opponents have come close to solving so far.
Regragui has ingeniously set up and steered the team to the semi-finals and, in the process, changed the false narrative that local African coaches are not equal to the task of masterminding team success at this level. Indeed Regragui’s side, despite missing West Ham’s Nayef Aguerd, Bayern Munich’s Noussair Mazraoui and losing captain Saiss to injury, has shown that an African coach can creatively harness both the skills and the wills of the players to achieve national glory.
Eyes on the trophy
The 2022 World Cup has been characterised by unexpected upsets and exceptional entertainment for fans. One of the goals of world football body Fifa is to continue growing the game.
Morocco’s qualification for a semi-final spot is a breakthrough in demonstrating that parity is emerging. There is a big portion of the world’s population that would erupt with joy and tears if team Morocco have their name engraved on the trophy.
