Morocco has been the dark horse of this FIFA World Cup edition. Nobody really expected much from the Moroccan side. While for many others, simply making it to the World Cup was a success, Morocco created unforgettable history in this World Cup.
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Morocco was the first African nation to ever reach a World Cup semifinal. The Atlas Lions’ dream world cup journey came to an end after being knocked out by defending champions France. Despite all the hard work, the mountain put up by Les Bleus was too high to climb. However, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, did a very heartwarming gesture soon after the game ended.
Emmanuel Macron with a beautiful gesture!
According to Italian journalist, Fabrizio Romano, the President of France – Emmanuel Macron made it a point to visit a dejected Moroccan dressing room after the loss. The France president reportedly called Sofyan Amrabat “the best midfielder of the tournament” in front of the whole Moroccan squad. He then went on to proceed with the celebrations going on in the French dressing room.
Been told France president Emmanuel Macron has visited Morocco’s dressing room after the game and told Sofyan Amrabat that he has been “the best midfielfer of the tournament” in front of all the squad. 🇲🇦🤝🏻 #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/Ya9dOlB7u8
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 14, 2022
What Macron did was a true act of sportsmanship. Being such a big entity, Macron was humble enough to do the kind gesture.
While the Moroccan’s world cup journey has come to an end, they still have another game left to play. Being the African nation to contest in a World Cup semifinal, Morocco will now fight for a third-place finish against Croatia.
Morocco’s WC Journey – Sofyan Amrabat the shining stone
Morocco’s journey at the World Cup was a truly successful one. They drew their first game 0-0 with Croatia. However, since then it’s only been an upward rising curve. Morocco topped their group after winning their games against Belgium and Canada in the group stage.
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While everyone thought that was it for Morocco, The Atlas Lions had other plans. They went on to shock the world by knocking out Spain on penalties, crediting a world-class performance by Moroccan goalkeeper Bono. Morocco continued that form into their next game. They managed to end the World Cup journey for Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo as well.
Sofyan Amrabat appreciation tweet.#BBCFootball #BBCWorldCup pic.twitter.com/mQqLJzMQ7P
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 14, 2022
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During the course of the World Cup, a few talents have shone really bright for Morocco; one of them being Sofyan Amrabat. The Moroccan midfielder currently plies his trade in Serie A. Sofyan and his brother Nordin first represented the Netherlands in the youth days before making the permanent switch to Morocco. While Sofyan is doing well for himself already, his performances in this World Cup will attract the attention of many big clubs across Europe.
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