- Morocco are playing at the quarter finals for the first time ever
- They look to become the first African team to be in the semis
- They are the only African team remaining in the tournament
Can Morocco make history on Saturday? The Atlas Lions, playing the quarter final of a World Cup for the first ever in their history and they face off with Portugal at the Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday afternoon with the whole of Africa standing behind them.
Morocco have good fresh memories from the Al Thumama pitch, having stunned fancied Portugal 2-0 when they met in the group stages. No African team has ever been past the quarter finals at the World Cup, and Morocco can just be the first.
Ghana were closest in South Africa 2010, but were denied by an Asamoah Gyan penalty miss after the infamous Luis Suarez handball. Morocco, who beat Spain in the round of 16, have history to make.
Coach Walid Regragui, who just took charge of the team in August, will be the man to lead the Atlas Lions from the touchline. He believes the entire continent will be backing his boys.
Nothing to lose
Coach Walid Regragui being celebrated by the team. PHOTO/FIFA
“We have nothing to lose. The challenge is to do as well as we did in the previous games. We want to show that Africa deserves to be here, Morocco deserves to be here,” the tactician said in the pre-match press conference.
He added; “We have a whole people behind us, a continent behind us and the Arab world behind us. That’s a lot of energy behind us. We’re going to try and do everything we can. We can do it, we can make history again. It (the support) can push us, help us actually to play with this pressure, not to make any mistakes.”
Morocco come into the game with the best defensive record in the tournament. They have conceded only once, penalties included, throughout the tournament. The only goal they conceded was an own goal by Nayef Aguerd.
It is this record they hope can propel them into what is expected to be a tough duel against Portugal who thrashed Switzerland 6-1 in the round of 16.
Can’t rest on our laurels
Morocco fans celebrate their team’s qualification to the World Cup quarters. PHOTO/FIFA
“We can’t rest on our laurels. We haven’t got carried away, we’ve just surprised a few people and a few algorithms who expected Belgium or Spain to be in the quarter-finals. We need to keep working,” the coach said.
The tactician has a few concerns heading into the game with defender Aguerd having hobbled off against Spain and remains a doubt. But the coach believes he can be ready in time for the game.
The Portuguese side is not an easy match up for them, whether or not star man Cristiano Ronaldo plays or not. The 37-year old skipper started from the bench against Switzerland with the Portuguese running riot and his replacement, Goncalo, scoring a hattrick.
The team will most likely, again, start with him on the bench for this crunch tie, Morocco not being an easy opponent.
The Atlas Lions will once again look towards the artistry of Hakim Ziyech and Soufiane Boufal, who have been absolutely phenomenal in attack so far. While they have potent players in attack, Yassine Bonou in goal is once again expected to play a crucial role.
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