What are Morocco’s strengths for this quarter-final against Portugal?
The Moroccan national team possesses multiple technical and physical qualities, as it has demonstrated throughout its career at the World Cup in Qatar. If I had to name one asset, I would say that the great strength of the Moroccan national team lies in the determination of the players, the coach and the technical team to guarantee the best possible representation of Moroccan and Moroccan football, with attention for the expectations and aspirations of 35 million Moroccans. This sense of duty and responsibility pushes players to give their best and make sacrifices to make the Moroccan people happy and honor Moroccan football.
Were you impressed by the result of the match between Portugal and Switzerland and by the performance of Gonçalo Ramos, who replaced Cristiano Ronaldo in attack?
First of all, I would like to congratulate the Portuguese on their qualification for the quarter-finals of the World Cup, thanks to this great victory for Portugal, won with art and skill, as the final result of 6-1 proves. Portugal is a footballing nation par excellence and has a very good team, with a smart mix of experienced players like Pepe or Cristiano Ronaldo and bright young players like Gonçalo Ramos. The Portuguese team is always very difficult to beat and it will be necessary to approach this match with the same discipline and tactical rigor as the Moroccan team did during this World Cup.
Can the team that wins today’s match aspire to win the World Cup or at least reach the final?
All dreams are of course allowed and even legitimate. As for me, and like Moroccan coach Walid Regragui, I prefer to see every game as a final. We are now focused on the game against Portugal, which we see as a great opportunity to once again celebrate the friendship and secular relations between the Kingdom and Portugal at all levels, including football. It is worth remembering that this is the third meeting between our two countries at the World Cup after Mexico in 1986 and Russia in 2018. Morocco won in 1986 and Portugal in 2018.
The victory against Spain caused revelry throughout Morocco and even King Mohammed VI came out to celebrate the victory. Is football a real passion for Moroccans?
Indeed, as soon as the match with Spain ended, the Moroccans spontaneously went to all the cities of the Kingdom, from Rabat to Laayoune or from Marrakech to Oujda, to celebrate together this historic qualification for the quarter-finals of the world. His Majesty the King left for Rabat to share happiness, joy and joy with the Moroccan people. As a football nation par excellence, Morocco and Moroccans have a true love and passion for football. Morocco has always given football great names, starting with the late Larbi Benbarek, nicknamed the Black Pearl, before the birth of King Pelé, to whom I wish him a speedy recovery. Morocco was the first Arab and African country to qualify for the round of 16 of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, taking first place in a group consisting of England, Poland and Portugal. With the standings for the quarter-finals, Morocco also becomes the first Arab country to reach this stage of the competition. This long and rich history gives football in Morocco a unique and exceptional place. Football was historically considered a man’s sport and was mainly followed by men. Since then, a real social change has taken place in the sense that women’s football is also progressing in Morocco, which also hosted the last African Women’s Football Cup and also qualified for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Zeeland in 2023. Both in the streets of Morocco and Qatar, men and women of all ages cheer and cheer on the national team.
After the elimination of the Qataris, the Saudis and the Tunisians, the Moroccans began to be supported in Qatar’s stadiums as the team of all Arabs. Is this a surprise?
Let me disagree with you on this point. From the first game against Croatia, the Arab public supported the Moroccan team without waiting for the elimination of the other Arab countries participating in the World Cup (Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia). This support from the Arab public comes as no surprise to us as it is part of the normal course of events. We must not forget that this is the first time that an Arab country has hosted the World Cup and it is quite normal for the Arab public on Arab soil to support an Arab national team. Morocco also benefits from the support of the African public who see the Moroccan team as the ultimate representative of African football. This dual Arab and African bond certainly gives Morocco the support of Arab and African fans, but it also gives it the heavy responsibility of representing Arab and African football with honor and honor. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Qatar on the perfect organization of this World Cup. Qatar honored all Arabs for the quality of the organization of this World Cup, paving the way for the Moroccan team to continue its advance to automatically defend Moroccan, Arab and African football in Qatar’s stadiums as an all-Arab selection.
Source: DN
