00:05African football took one giant leap at Qatar 2022 when Morocco became the
00:10continent's first representative to reach a World Cup semi-final Cameroon
00:18Senegal and Ghana had all previously reached the quarterfinals but the Atlas
00:22Lions broke new ground by making the final four these are indeed proud moments
00:29and a proud period for football on the African continent taking into account
00:37the performance of all of our five national teams that were representing
00:44Africa at the FIFA World Cup Qatar and and in particular the historic
00:51achievements of of Morocco that has made all of us exceptionally proud they've
00:58made all of us in Africa uniquely proud Morocco qualified with ease via the
01:07often treacherous calf route and there was considerable excitement at the prospect
01:12of participating in a nearby Arab nation all right pride and happiness like the
01:19rest of the Moroccans here with the Moroccan community and our Qatari brothers we
01:25were very happy yesterday with a well-deserved qualification of the
01:28Moroccan national team today we are happy to raise the Moroccan flag among the
01:32flags of the qualified countries I hope that the Moroccan national team's
01:37participation will be effective and successful in the World Cup
01:42before Qatar Morocco had only won two matches in finals history and only once
01:47progressed beyond the first round back in 1986 but the head coach
01:54throughout qualifying Vahid Halil Hojic had high expectations we must prepare this team well to win
02:03the World Cup one day even if that sounds too much we can say we tried there will be ways
02:10to
02:11achieve it but if the group doesn't believe you have no chance that's what I'm
02:17talking about I insist on the collective spirit if there is not that there will be
02:23nothing but Halil Hojic was fired between qualifying and the finals remarkably
02:31this was the third time this had happened in the Bosnians Korea
02:37waleed regregi was handed the reins and also an imposing group phase assignment having been drawn
02:43alongside Belgium Croatia and Canada but after an opening round stalemate with Croatia Morocco set
02:51the tournament alight by downing the fancied Belgians 2-0 they backed up that victory with a 2-1
02:58triumph over Canada cementing their status as group winners Morocco arrived in Qatar with a clutch of
03:07players at home at the highest level the likes of Hakim Ziyech Akraf Hakimi Sofyan Amrabat Nusair Mazraoui
03:18Joseph and Nesiri and Yacine Bonu and it was Sevilla goalkeeper Bonu who was instrumental in Morocco
03:28extending their tournament saving two penalties in a shootout to knock out European giant Spain
03:34after 36 years we're making history again we've celebrated it we've been very happy dancing and
03:47celebrating in the locker room these days have been unforgettable and indescribable those
03:56unforgettable days continued with in Nesiri scoring the decisive goal to dispense of Cristiano Ronaldo's
04:03Portugal and make african football history the Atlas Lions were the pride of the world cup
04:11I think they're a very solid team very difficult to move defensively we see a great solidarity they
04:24write the history of Moroccan football so it's such a collective force that emerges
04:34they have had performances that gave them a lot of confidence it's a team that is united
04:41and here I think they have weapons also offensively whether on counter-attacks on set-pieces
04:50or on individual actions they have quality players
05:00Morocco's semi-final opponents had to be France a country with whom there is so much shared football
05:11culture it's more than a dream it's incredible it's national pride it's historical what we are doing
05:17for our football and the lessons that we are giving ourselves we are not seeing life as before this
05:23changed our mindset we are hanging from the lips of our coach we can make it we might not have
05:30the same
05:30chances in game we might not have the same infrastructure we might not have anything to
05:35make it but with a lot of heart and a lot of blessing but the defending champions proved too strong
05:47ending the fairy tale at the penultimate hurdle deflated Morocco failed to rouse themselves against
05:55Croatia in the third place playoff but the squad returned home to a hero's welcome nonetheless
06:05if they won the world cup we won the world our joy is indescribable it's also a joyous event for
06:14the
06:14Arab world and for Africa it's only the beginning King Mohammed the sixth invited the team to the
06:23royal palace in Rabat to hand out order of the throne whisms in honor of their performances
06:30and a documentary was made celebrating the accomplishment and its impact on Morocco
06:37we believe that the documentary will monitor for as many of the developments that occurred in
06:41Moroccan football will accompany us with how this global event was in which the Moroccan team succeeded
06:47well deservedly in which it reached the semi-finals to be the first Arab and African team to reach this
06:54great position 2022 will go down as a landmark World Cup the first in the Middle East the crowning glory
07:07for Lionel Messi and a major step in the progression of football in Africa courtesy of Morocco and their Atlas
07:14Lions
