As Morocco seeks to write a new page in the history of Arab and African football by reaching the final of the World Cup, coach Walid Regragui confirmed that the “Atlas Lions” are currently considered “one of the four best teams in the world.”
The Moroccan national team became the first African team to play in the World Cup semi-finals, as it will face France, the defending champion, today, Wednesday, at 7:00 pm GMT.
“Why don’t we reach the World Cup final? We will show great desire and try to achieve a surprise,” Regragui asked.
“We came to this tournament to change mentalities within our continent,” said the Morocco coach.
Morocco previously beat Belgium, Spain and Portugal on its way to the semi-finals in Qatar.
“Before every match, people thought we would be out of the tournament, but we are still here,” added Regragui, who took over the team in August.
“We are getting closer to our dreams and we will fight to get there.”
He stressed that reaching the semi-finals is not enough for him. “We are not satisfied with the semi-finals and being the first African team to do so. We want to go further,” he said.
He emphasized that some might think, “This is crazy, but a little crazy is good.”
“We want Africa to be on top of the world,” he said of the team. I know we are not favourites, but we are confident.”
“Atlas Lions” surprises
Morocco achieved the best performance in the previous World Cup tournaments in 1986, when it advanced to the round of 16, before losing and not qualifying for the quarter-finals.
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Regragui said he wanted to change mindsets within Africa
In the other four times it qualified before this year, the Moroccan national team failed to pass the group stage.
Morocco ranked 22nd in the FIFA world rankings at the start of this tournament, but they drew 0-0 with 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia, and achieved three victories over teams ranked in the top ten.
Morocco beat second-placed Belgium 2-0, helping them top Group F, before defeating Spain on penalties in the round of 16 and then beating Portugal 1-0 in the quarter-finals.
Regragui said his team might cause another shock: “We beat some top teams. It’s a knockout game and when you have the desire, the commitment and the support of the fans, you can win it.”
And regarding the semi-final match once morest France, he added: “The more you progress, the more difficult the matches. We are playing with world champions, world-class players and a very good coach (Didier Deschamps), perhaps the best in the world.”
There are concerns regarding the participation of some Moroccan stars in the match, as West Ham United defender Nayef Akrad and former Wolverhampton defender Roman Sayes were injured.
About 20,000 Moroccan fans are expected to attend Al Bayt Stadium in Doha to stand by their team.
“It’s a great honor to play for these fans and make them proud,” said Morocco’s Elias Shaer.
He added, “They are the best fans in the world. We are there to do our best and hopefully in the end we can be the best.”
