Portugal will be fighting against a tidal wave of goodwill from Africa and the Arab world as they seek a spot in the World Cup semi-finals.
Morroco’s shock defeat of Spain brought a flood of well-wishes from countries across the Middle East as their penalty shootout victory brought pan-continental joy. Within minutes of the triumph, boss Walid Regragui had taken a call from King Mohammed VI - and social media was awash with gushing tributes from nearby states who have saluted this triumph as they would their own.
Queen Rania of Jordan took to social media, saying: “Congratulations to the Atlas Lions - you delighted us. Wow Morroco, you did it again.“ And she was joined by United Arab Emirates ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid along with the prime ministers of Lebanon and Libya, Najib Mikati and Abdul Hamid Al Dbeibah respectively.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim held up the Moroccan flag inside Education City Stadium and leading Sudanese politician Mohammed Dagalo spoke for many when he wrote: “Thanks - congratulations from Arab and African fans.“ The last-16 game was a flashpoint outside the stadium as excitement at the possibility of Morocco becoming the fourth African nation to reach the last eight of a World Cup became fevered.
Scuffles broke out as fans tried to gain entry and the security staff were seen to be stretched as the numbers overwhelmed them. Morocco, like many states, has a significant ex-pat population in Qatar and Portugal’s supporters can expect to be heavily outnumbered in the stands at Lusail Stadium.
Regragui tapped into that and is expecting a similarly hostile atmosphere on Saturday. He said: “It would have been impossible to do [beat Spain] without those fans.
“Four days ago, they came to our hotel wanting tickets. We know that a lot of them came to Qatar to support the country. I need them in the quarter-finals to make history. The Qataris here, Algerians, Tunisians, African people, they’re all behind us and we aim to make them proud.”
Abdelhamid Sabiri, who came on as a second-half sub, said: “It’s not easy getting to the place where we are right now. But we’re not here just to play some nice games at the World Cup. We’re here to do the maximum.
“We’re happy. It’s our happiest day, a special moment. For the whole of Africa, Arab countries and all the Muslims around the world, we have tried to make them happy too.”
Who will reach the semi-finals of the World Cup: Morocco or Portugal? Have your say in the comments!
Former Southampton winger Sofiane Boufal added: “We’ve made history - I can’t describe my emotions but it’s been historic. People live for football in Morocco.
“Before the game against Spain, we all watched videos of the parties they were having on the street - young and old together. If you want to see what’s happening in Morocco, you can go on the internet. It’s crazy. My mum was in tears at the final whistle. The emotions of the game have made her crazy and sent all Moroccans crazy.”
