African football has waited for this moment for a very long time. And when it finally arrived, it was sweet and very emotional.
Morocco made history when they became the first country from Africa to reach the finals of a Fifa World Cup when they knocked out Portugal 1-0 at the Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar on Saturday night.
WHEN the referee blew the final whistle, Morocco players slumped onto the field with tears of joy streaming down their faces. Celebrations were intense at the spectacular stadium as the Moroccans chanted passionately and animatedly. Wild partying must have gone throughout the night in Morocco’s big cities such as Rabat and Casablanca.
The emotional victory was not only for Morocco, it was a triumphant moment for the entire African continent who have struggled to reach the last four of this tournament in the history of Fifa.
This is probably the last World Cup for Portugal’s talisman Cristiano Ronaldo who started from the bench. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was introduced early in the second half and he injected some life into the Portuguese attack.
But he found Morocco back four resolute and very solid. Portugal’s galaxy of stars such as Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix tried everything in their powers but they were simply outclassed by the north Africans who were determined to rewrite history books. Ronaldo was reduced to tears after the game and was seen sobbing like a baby as he made his way back to the change rooms.
With Portugal defending too deep, Morocco smelt blood and attacked their rear-guard. It was by no mistake when Youssef En Nesyri scored Morocco’s goal with a glancing header with Portugal goalkeeper all at sea in the 42nd minute.
Towards the end, Portugal gave Morocco a big scare as they attacked aggressively. At this stage, Morocco were kicking every ball away and defending desperately. Ronaldo had a sniff at goal in injury time but the goalkeeper was equal to the task. Veteran defender Pepe also missed the easiest chance when he headed wide with the last touch of the game.
Credit should go to the Moroccan federation for investing in football in their country. The success of the team is because of long-term planning, having a vision and implementing their innovative strategies.
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