The Morocco coach, Walid Regragui, has assured that “Africa is back on the map” of football with his team’s pass to the semifinals of the World Cup in Qatar after eliminating Portugal (1-0), and has stated that this victory shows that “it is not easy” to beat them, sending a message to the Spaniards who affirmed that it was a shame to fall before them.
“If you tell me at the beginning of the World Cup that we are going to reach the semifinal, that we are going to beat Belgium, Spain and Portugal, which are very big countries in football, I would have told you that it is impossible. But with my heart , with soul, with good tactics and with a lot of love from the fans, we have done it, but with many sacrifices. I am very happy, very happy,” he told Gol Mundial after the game.
In addition, he remembered the Spaniards who considered it a shame to have lost to them in the round of 16. “And I am also happy for Spain, because there are people who have said that it is a nightmare to lose against Morocco, but they have seen that it is not easy to beat us,” he said.
On the other hand, he joked with the resemblance of this match to that of Spain in the round of 16. “Yes, yes, and to the ‘Cholo’ too. I am going to say something that is not right, but that he has done very well. We are tactically well, with a very big heart. We don’t leave spaces, we run, we know we have technical players who can make the difference. And we’ve also been lucky, because the stick has been with us in this World Cup”, said the Franco-Moroccan coach, who is clear about who he prefers as his rival in the semis. “I want France. It is my second country,” he stressed.
Previously, Regragui had shown his pride in making his country the first on the African continent to reach the semifinals of a World Cup. “Africa is back on the football map today. We had the right mindset. We knew we could make history for Africa. We had the right attitude for our people, for us, for Africa,” he said.
Moroccan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat was also “proud” of the achievement. “It’s really unbelievable, I’m very proud. It’s like a dream, it’s unbelievable that we’re in the semi-final. We deserve this 1000% because of how we fought, how we played our hearts out for our country and for our people. It’s unbelievable.” concluded.
