Morocco’s Atlas Lions obtain hero’s welcome on return dwelling | Qatar World Cup 2022 Information

The nationwide staff made historical past on this yr’s FIFA World Cup after beating elite groups Belgium, Portugal and Spain.

Morocco’s nationwide soccer staff have obtained a hero’s welcome upon their return dwelling after conducting the seemingly not possible feat of ending fourth on the World Cup in Qatar.

After their airplane touched down on Tuesday, the gamers rode an open-top bus by the key avenues of the capital, Rabat. With flares, chants and flags, hundreds of Moroccans turned out to greet the gamers, who injected new energy into African and Arab football.

Underdogs Morocco, referred to as the Atlas Lions, conquered hearts with their never-say-die perspective and made history as one of the big success stories of this year’s tournament.

Morocco defeated elite groups, beating second-ranked Belgium, gorgeous 2010 champions Spain in a penalty shootout within the final 16, and persevering with their spectacular run with a 1-0 win towards 2016 European champions Portugal, earlier than stumbling towards the defending champions France. Alongside the way in which, the Atlas Lions turned the primary African and Arab nation to achieve a World Cup semifinal.

The gamers’ record-setting performance earned them a particular celebration by followers, as police stood guard within the streets of Rabat. Huge crowds lined the streets and the remainder of the North African kingdom for the homecoming.

Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque, reporting from Rabat, described an “ocean of purple and inexperienced” greeting the nationwide staff.

“The folks of Morocco are roaring to welcome the Atlas Lions. There may be a lot satisfaction. I used to be within the crowd earlier and I met individuals who got here all the way in which from Holland to witness this second. Kids, households, ladies, grandparents coming right here to witness this second collectively,” Haque stated.

“There’s such a degree of communion that this staff has delivered to Morocco. Because the bus strikes slowly in the direction of the palace of the king, you possibly can see crowds of individuals working behind the bus.”

The royal courtroom stated on Monday that King Mohammed VI would obtain the staff on the palace in Rabat “to rejoice their nice and historic accomplishment”.

The staff completed fourth within the competitors after losing to Croatia 1-2 in the third-place playoff on Saturday, exceeding the expectations of most Moroccans.

“This staff has introduced a lot pleasure, not solely to the folks of Morocco, but in addition to Africans, the Arab world and to thousands and thousands of Moroccans who dwell overseas. This staff of 11 gamers, most of them are twin nationals. And there’s satisfaction in being obtained like this by their nation of origin,” Haque stated.

The Moroccan staff charmed many Arab soccer followers who noticed within the staff a mirrored image of themselves. Gamers waved the Palestinian flag after their wins and celebrated on the sphere with their moms and kids.

The staff additionally galvanised help throughout Africa.

“If somebody had advised me earlier than the match that we might play seven matches in Qatar, we might have been glad,” Morocco coach Walid Regragui advised BeIN Sports activities.

“All Moroccan, African and Arab folks have seen how this staff fought and wished to make the nation glad … We’ll attempt to return after 4 years,” added the 47-year-old coach, who solely took cost in August.