“La Roja ejected, Regragui’s Lions are definite legends,” read the headline in Le Matin, while L’Opinion spoke of a night of “immense joy in the streets of Rabat”, both Morocco-based newspapers perfectly summing up the country’s stunning victory over Spain in the last-16 of the World Cup.
As was the case in the group stages, Morocco’s defensive line held firm on Tuesday and ultimately the fixture against the 2010 world champions at Education City Stadium became an intriguing and enthralling chess match between the head coaches, Luis Enrique and Walid Regragui. The latter ended the day victorious, taking the Atlas Lions to the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time, a feat greeted with emphatically enthusiastic and congratulatory media reaction.
“Regragui and the Lions have trained the Spanish Toro,” said ElBotola.com, while Hespress.com singled out Morocco’s goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, describing him as “the one who broke the tactic of a thousand penalty kicks” in reference to Luis Enrique’s words about the need necessity for every Spanish player to have practised “at least 1,000 penalties” before joining La Roja’s squad in Doha.
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Le360.ma, meanwhile, tracked the movements of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation president, Fouzi Lekjaa, as he watched on at Education City, noting that he had kicked every ball and reacted to every game phase. He celebrated victory by embracing his neighbouring spectator, Patrice Motsepe, the Confederation of African Football president.
The US-based MoroccoWorldNews.com reported on how “some fans chose to celebrate the Atlas Lions by beeping car horns, while others were shouting ‘Morocco’ through their windows and balconies to share their excitement”. There were also tales of King Mohammed VI leading celebrations in the streets of Rabat, wearing a national team jersey and waving to passers-by through his car’s window. “King Mohammed VI held a phone call with Fouzi Lekjaa and head coach Walid Regragui, expressing his sincere congratulations to the national team and technical staff.”
Make no mistake, the game inspired a level of joy that Moroccans have not felt for a long time. But it is also a joy that came after plenty of sacrifices and suffering. Le Matin quoted the midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who endured back pain the entire night before the game. “I was up until three in the morning with the physiologist. I didn’t know if I was going to play,” he said. “I just knew I couldn’t let the boys and my country down.” This was also a success forged in humility, summed up by Bounou’s reaction after he had been awarded the man of the match trophy. “The penalties, it’s a bit of intuition, a bit of luck,” the Sevilla goalkeeper was quoted as saying by the Casablanca-based newspaper. “We won and that’s the most important.”
Perhaps the most memorable quote from Morocco’s entire World Cup campaign has come from Regragui. Before playing Belgium in the group stages, the head coach asked for “national unity”, asking all Moroccans to have “niya” (good faith). “The energy plays a role in football,” he said. “When people are in good faith, the ball will hit the bar and enter. And vice versa, if some are saying: ‘Look at this avocado head, he talks too much,’ and show bad faith, the ball would hit the bar and go out.”
The message has been widely shared on social media and, on Tuesday, was attached to images of Pablo Sarabia’s last-gasp chance for Spain that hit the post and deflected out. Good faith, indeed.
