Spain’s fans shed tears on Tuesday following their World Cup round of 16 penalty shootout elimination as Moroccan fans took to the streets from Barcelona to Madrid and Melilla to celebrate the historic victory.
Spain fans adorned the red and yellow flag while watching the match, but it was the Moroccan fans who invaded the streets tonight after winning 3-0 on penalties to qualify the first Arab team to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Achraf Hakimi, born in Madrid, scored the decisive penalty shootout for Morocco.
Spain and Morocco have a long history of competition and there is a common cultural influence for centuries and unstable diplomatic relations in the past decades, often due to immigration problems.
Spain fans were devastated to see their team’s early exit from the Qatar finals.
Julia Calvet, 21, said: We return crying to Spain and there must be a reaction.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez quickly wrote a condolence message on Twitter, telling the team: “You made us happy and proud.”
The Spanish royal family also stated on Twitter: “Nothing is over, let’s keep moving forward, competing and fighting.”
Some fans philosophically dealt with the defeat, which came after full possession of the ball, but Morocco’s defense was solid.
Rafael Gomez (27 years), who watched the match, draped in the Spanish flag, said: They did not disappoint me because they played very well, but I am a little sad. Morocco is not a very strong team and we could have won, they defended all the time.
The evening was completely different for Moroccans in Spain, who are the largest foreign community there and constitute 16 percent of all foreigners residing in the European country, according to official figures.
In Barcelona, the supporters of Morocco gathered in the Raval district to celebrate, lit fireworks and cheered enthusiastically.
Anas (22 years), a Moroccan chef, said from the heart of Barcelona: We needed a victory for Moroccans to feel confident in themselves in Spain, and we hope to reach the final.
Fans gathered in Melilla, on the border between the two countries, with cheers and dances to celebrate, according to television footage.
Spanish police sent extra forces to deal with any disturbances after the match, but most of the celebrations were peaceful.