DNYUZ
In Doha, the fans sang, danced and celebrated into the early morning. And it was a feeling not lost on Moroccans back home.
“What a great day to be a Moroccan,” Abdessamad told Al Jazeera in Marrakesh. “My heart sank every time we failed to score from an opportunity. As Spain missed their penalties, I forgot everything around me. Suddenly, the loud roar around me made me realise we made it to the quarter-finals.
“Our team is on the road to something more magical, something bigger, something insane.”
In the capital, Rabat, cafes were lined up with people eager to watch the match, roads were packed and squares where screenings were taking place were filled with flags and Moroccans wearing team jerseys. A feeling of hope and optimism prevailed.
The win gave them an excuse to celebrate all night.
“It’s the first time I had this feeling,” Fahd Belbachir was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency. “We’re so proud.”
It was a day where history was made and Moroccans on the streets the morning after said they could not be more proud of what the team had achieved.
Some were even in disbelief, not fully able to comprehend that the dream was in fact reality.
“We are so proud of our Lions, who fought hard to get us into the quarter-finals,” Niama Meddoun, a Rabat resident, said. “We are delighted to be Moroccans today, since we are the first Arab country that has reached the quarter-finals.”
Videos circulating online showed the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, out celebrating with a Moroccan flag.
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