Morocco’s capital, Rabat, is more than 7,000km from Doha but that hasn’t stopped the Atlas Lions from settling in. “We feel that we are home,” their coach, Walid Regragui, said after their battling point against Croatia on Wednesday. “And I am happy to be in Qatar. The Moroccan and Arab fans in the stands supported us and gave us strength when we felt tired.”
It was a similar story 24 hours earlier after Tunisia also secured a 0-0 draw in their opening game against Denmark in front of a packed crowd dominated by their supporters. “The fan factor was very positive for us,” said their coach, Jalel Kadri. “It mentally gave us a great lift and we are looking forward to seeing the fans continue to do that for us.”
