00:03African football took one giant leap at Qatar 2022 when Morocco became the
00:09continent's first representative to reach a World Cup semi-final Cameroon
00:16Senegal and Ghana had all previously reached the quarterfinals but the Atlas
00:20Lions broke new ground by making the final four these are indeed proud moments
00:27and a proud period for football on the African continent taking into account
00:35the performance of all of our five national teams that were representing
00:42Africa at the FIFA World Cup Qatar and and in particular the historic
00:49achievements of of Morocco that has made all of us exceptionally proud they've
00:56made all of us in Africa uniquely proud Morocco qualified with ease via the
01:05often treacherous calf route and there was considerable excitement at the prospect
01:10of participating in a nearby Arab nation
01:14all right pride and happiness like the rest of the Moroccans here with the
01:19Moroccan community and our Qatari brothers we were very happy yesterday with a
01:24well-deserved qualification of the Moroccan national team today we are
01:28happy to raise the Moroccan flag among the flags of the qualified countries I hope
01:33that the Moroccan national team's participation will be effective and
01:37successful in the World Cup before Qatar Morocco had only won two matches in
01:44finals history and only once progressed beyond the first round back in 1986
01:51but the head coach throughout qualifying Vahid Halil Hojic had high expectations
01:58we must prepare this team well to win the World Cup one day even if that sounds too much we
02:05can say we tried
02:07there will be ways to achieve it but if the group doesn't believe you have no
02:12chance that's what I'm talking about I insist on the collective spirit if there
02:20is not that there will be nothing but Halil Hojic was fired between qualifying and
02:27the finals remarkably this was the third time this had happened in the Bosnian's career
02:35Waleed Regregi was handed the reins and also an imposing group phase assignment having been
02:40drawn alongside Belgium Croatia and Canada but after an opening round stalemate with Croatia Morocco set
02:50the tournament alight by downing the fancied Belgians 2-0 they backed up that victory with a 2-1 triumph
02:57over
02:57Canada cementing their status as group winners Morocco arrived in Qatar with a clutch of players at
03:05home at home at the highest level the likes of Hakim Ziyech Akraf Hakimi Sofyan Amrabat Nusair Mazraoui Yosef Nesiri
03:18and Yassin Bonu
03:22and it was Sevilla goalkeeper Bonu who was instrumental in Morocco extending their tournament saving two penalties in a
03:30shootout to knock out European giant Spain when she will be told that 36 years we're making history again
03:39we've celebrated it we've been very happy dancing and celebrating in the locker room these days have
03:48been unforgettable and indescribable those unforgettable days continued within a Siri scoring the decisive goal
03:59to dispense of Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal and make African football history
04:06the Atlas Lions were the pride of the World Cup
04:10I think they're a very solid team very difficult to move
04:17defensively we see a great solidarity
04:22they write the history of Moroccan football so it's such a collective force that emerges
04:32they have had performances that gave them a lot of confidence it's a team that is united
04:39and here I think they have weapons also offensively whether on counter-attacks or set pieces or on individual actions
04:52they have quality players
04:59Morocco's semi-final opponents had to be France a country with whom there is so much shared football culture
05:10it's more than a dream it's incredible it's national pride it's historical what we are doing for our football and
05:17the lessons that we are giving ourselves
05:19we are not seeing life as before this changed our mindset we are hanging from the lips of our coach
05:25we can make it we might not have the same chances in game
05:29we might not have the same infrastructure we might not have anything to make it
05:33but with a lot of heart and a lot of blessing we will
05:38but the defending champions proved too strong ending the fairy tale at the penultimate hurdle
05:50deflated Morocco failed to rouse themselves against Croatia in the third place playoff
05:58but the squad returned home to a hero's welcome nonetheless
06:03if they won the world cup we won the world our joy is indescribable
06:10it's also a joyous event for the Arab world and for Africa
06:14it's only the beginning
06:18King Mohammed the sixth invited the team to the royal palace in Rabat
06:22to hand out order of the throne wisdoms in honor of their performances
06:29and a documentary was made celebrating the accomplishment and its impact on Morocco
06:35we believe that the documentary will monitor for as many of the developments that occurred in Moroccan football
06:40and will accompany us with how this global event was in which the Moroccan team succeeded well deservedly
06:47in which it reached the semi-finals to be the first Arab and African team to reach this great position
06:562022 will go down as a landmark World Cup
07:01the first in the Middle East
07:04the crowning glory for Lionel Messi
07:06and a major step in the progression of football in Africa courtesy of Morocco and their Atlas Lions
07:13we've been there last season
07:13one of 500 astroph dislike parrain
07:13and their captains
07:13in many Persons
07:13and in various states
07:13but, even in theALD Museum
07:14the first generation and every trip
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