From Casablanca, the temple of football, to Rabat, the placid capital of the kingdom, the Moroccans exploded with joy on Tuesday after the historic qualification of their national team in the quarter-finals of the World Cup at the expense of Spain.
After an unbreathable suspense, songs, cries, tears, the cracking of smoke bombs, a strident hustle and bustle of horns celebrated the qualification, at the end of the penalty shootout, of the Lions of the ‘Atlas, the first Arab selection to reach this stage of the competition.
“We were millions behind Morocco. This team represents a spirit, a union,” exulted Imad Aït Ounejjar, a project manager, in a crowded trattoria in Casablanca.
“This victory is for Morocco, Africa, the Arab world and all the nations that believed in us. We are proud to be Moroccans,” rejoiced the young man.
In fact, the Atlas Lions are the last African or Arab selection still in the running in Qatar.
“I can’t believe it! This team is doing miracles! It’s so beautiful!” adds next Lamia Afria, 24 years old. “I feel proud, we did the unthinkable!”.
“Magical”. For all of them, it is a dream come true after so many years of waiting and frustration.
Never had the Atlas Lions gone so far in the world tournament. Before Monday, their best result in football’s premier competition was in 1986, when they reached the round of 16.
In this restaurant in Casablanca, the atmosphere seemed unreal. Until the end the supporters – men and women alike – wrapped in red flags and wearing the green star jersey pushed behind the Lions.
After the victory, the room chanted, with one voice, “Next” and “Dima Maghrib (Always with Morocco)”.
– “Brothers and neighbors” –
This epic duel took on the appearance of a derby: the Spanish coast is only 14 km from Tangier, on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Beyond the pure sporting aspect, Rabat and Madrid share common interests, economic but also in the fight against illegal immigration.
After a diplomatic quarrel lasting almost a year, over the question of the disputed territory of Western Sahara, the two neighbors normalized their relations in mid-March.
Today, they seem to be in good shape.
Several Moroccan internationals play in the Spanish league such as striker Youssef En-Nesyri and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou (Sevilla FC), winger Ez Abde (Osasuna) and defender Jawad El Yamiq (Real Valladolid).
National team star Achraf Hakimi, author of a daring panenka during the shot on goal which delivered his team, was meanwhile born in Madrid and trained at Real.
But the Atlas Lions have also won hearts outside the borders of the Cherifian kingdom.
Scenes of jubilation erupted in Syria, Saudi Arabia and as far as Gaza after Morocco’s group matches. In Paris, several hundred fans celebrated the victory on Tuesday on the Champs-Elysées.
Palestinian supporters even improvised a song in honor of the Moroccan eleven.
For their part, the Moroccan heroes posed in the post-match photos with the Palestinian flag.
Even in a context of acute crisis between Morocco and Algeria, football has managed to unite the two “brother peoples”.
“Far from all the hateful and malicious trolls on social networks, the Algerian people are behind the Moroccan people (…) Your brothers and neighbors are with you,” wrote the DZfoot page, which has more than a million followers, on Tuesday. followers on Twitter.
Several Algerian internationals also praised the Moroccan feat on social networks.