WORLDCUP 2022: CAN MOROCCO TRIUMPH FOR AFRICA?

Wayne Lumbasi

Four years ago in Russia, all five African nations were eliminated in the group stages after accumulating only eight points, but there has been a wonderful resurgence in this World Cup of surprises in Qatar.

Morocco was making only their second appearance at the global finals as an independent nation, and after finishing winless in their first 16 years earlier, no one gave them a chance against a heavyweight trio of European opponents in Group F.

Morocco’s national soccer team made history on December 6, 2022, when they beat Spain and advanced to the quarter-finals in Qatar. Morocco is the fourth African team to reach the World Cup quarterfinals, following Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002), and Ghana (2010).

With this success, people have praised Morocco as an African victory on social media. People on the continent made the decision to support the Moroccan soccer team after the elimination of other African soccer teams.

The World Cup resumes this Friday (today) with quarterfinal battles. Morocco will face another stern test to reach the semi-finals, Morocco will face Portugal in the quarter-finals at Qatar 2022 on Saturday. When these nations last locked horns at the World Cup finals, Morocco emerged 3-1 victors back in 1986, but some 36 years later the score line could be very different.

Against Portugal, it has an opportunity to make its campaign even better. Having already beaten Spain, Belgium; and sharing spoils against Croatia, the African team would not see a semifinal place as a stretch. Morocco defeating Portugal would be the second largest upset of the quarterfinals.

The Atlas Lions will be hoping to become the first African nation to reach the semifinals of a World Cup, but one of the tournament’s most in-form teams stands in their way.