Morocco has already made World Cup history, as no African team had ever reached the semi-finals before Walid Reragui’s team.
They reached the semi-finals of the competition after beating Portugal 1-0. There they will face defending champions France, who beat England 2-1 on the same day.
In eight games under Reragui, Morocco have recorded five wins and three draws. They only conceded one goal. “We are Rocky Balboa in this World Cup,” Reragui said. “It’s not a miracle, it’s the result of hard work. After Spain, we also managed to beat a great team like Portugal.”
“We gave it our all, even though we still have injured players, but those who played fought until exhaustion,” he said.
“This group has a great spirit. I told the players before the match that we had to write the history of Africa,” continued Reragui.
The only goal Morocco conceded under Reragui was an own goal scored by West Ham centre-back Nayef Aguerd in their group stage match against Canada.
No other player has beaten the impressive Yassine Bono, with the Sevilla goalkeeper becoming the first African keeper to keep three clean sheets at a World Cup.
Meanwhile, Aguerd stood out in defense. While full-back Hakimi is one of the best players in Morocco. No team had more possession (137) and steals (52) than Morocco, which is far from easy to beat.
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Moroccan players celebrate by throwing coach Walid Reragui into the air after the match against Canada in Group F of the 2022 World Cup at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Thursday (1/12/2022). This result allowed Morocco to qualify for the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup as winners of Group F with seven points. While the finalist belongs to Croatia. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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