Moroccan fans celebrate in Rabat after the semi-finals, December 14, 2022 (Dror Zamir)
The magical journey of the Moroccan team in the World Cup in Qatar came to an end last night (Wednesday) after the loss to world champion France in the semi-finals.
Before the game, the residents of the country expected and believed that after the sensation in the eighth and quarter-finals, with the victories over Spain and Portugal, it would be possible to register another surprise and dethrone the Teri Kolor on the way to the finals.
The night, which began with great disappointment, ended differently - with a tremendous sense of pride.
I am writing these lines in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, where crowds of fans celebrated until the wee hours of the night.
Tomorrow at this time I will already be on the plane from Casablanca on my way to Israel.
In my journey here, which began about ten days ago, I experienced a country that is in a never-ending sense of euphoria.
And rightly so.
Who would have believed that Morocco, a team from which there were no expectations at the beginning of the tournament, a team that received a tough home with the strong Belgium and the runner-up of the world champion Croatia, would do the unbelievable and reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, overcoming football giants like Belgium, Spain and Portugal?
In all the days I spent in Morocco it did not rain.
Precisely yesterday, on the day of the semi-finals, it started raining continuously throughout most of the day.
Some believers will say that maybe the heavens wept for the future.
Following the rains, giant screens were not placed around the city as in the previous games, and residents began to crowd the cafes to watch the game.
The World Cup games are broadcast in Morocco on a paid channel, and most people go out into the streets to watch them.
The cafes are a popular destination for entertainment in Morocco.
In most games you will find only men there, who will drink coffee, tea, smoke cigarettes and cheer.
A country that is in a never-ending euphoria.
Fans in Rabat, December 14, 2022 (Photo: Reuters)
More and more people started coming and singing.
Fans with flares, despite the loss (photo: official website, Dror Zamir)
The exceptions are the matches of the Moroccan national team.
When the Atlas Lions play, the whole family comes to watch.
The cafes are also filled with women and children.
Yesterday at the game, due to the high demand, you had to buy a ticket to enter the cafe.
As if entering the game itself.
In Morocco it is not customary to smoke when families stay there, out of respect.
Therefore, the cigarette smoke was replaced last night in the cafe in Rabat by the screams of the women.
And there were quite a few of them.
Whenever there was an opportunity, for either side, the Moroccan women in the cafe screamed at the top of their lungs.
An amusing moment was recorded during the first half, when screams were heard from the mouths of the women after a replay of the first goal scored by France was broadcast.
They thought that Morocco had conceded another goal.
They screamed, and the men in the cafe laughed.
The whole family came to see.
Fans in Casablanca (Photo: Reuters)
Throughout the game, the tense fans did not stop cheering for their team.
The famous chants of the emptied - "Sir! Sir! Sir!", which in Hebrew is "Forward! Forward! Forward!", were heard continuously.
The Atlas Lions did not give up after conceding the early goal from the French, but tried to attack and equalize in most phases of the game.
As soon as the substitute Randall Kolo Moani scored the second goal for Terry Color in the 79th minute, half of the cafe's residents left at once.
without blinking.
Just got up and left.
Even before the reverse gear.
In the quarter of an hour left until the end of the game, including the added time, more and more people began to leave.
After every miss, every opportunity that was not taken by the players of their team, they reacted in a visibly emotional way.
Some held their heads and looked mournful, there was a fan who threw the chairs next to her and left nervously.
The broadcast of the game at the cafe in Rabat, December 14, 2022
Moroccan fans celebrate in Rabat after the semi-finals, December 14, 2022 (Dror Zamir)
The celebrations in Rabat (photo: official website, Dror Zamir)
I left the cafe after the final whistle and thought to myself, strange that this is how they accept it.
After all, France came to the game as the clear favorite, and in general - Morocco recorded an unusual achievement.
Who even thought at the beginning of the tournament that they would reach the semi-finals?
They should be proud of their team.
In the streets of the capital, Rabat, there was a static noise of cheerleaders that felt like the blowing of a trumpet, while in the background the crowds are walking quietly, as everyone returns from the cafe where they sat to watch the game.
After about a quarter of an hour of walking in a dejected atmosphere, voices were suddenly heard singing from a group of fans who had gathered near one of the cafes near the Moroccan parliament building.
More and more people came and started singing and cheering for their team.
A few hundred meters away, further on, near the king's palace, I saw a larger group.
Little by little, the feeling of grief and sadness that prevailed in the kingdom was replaced by tremendous joy.
People sang, jumped, screamed, lit flares and sent fireworks into the air.
More and more people joined, the familiar sirens of the cars and the raised flags very quickly began to remind me of the celebrations I experienced here after the big victories in the eighth and quarterfinals.
The police did not interfere with the celebration.
Fans after the game in Rabat (photo: official website, Dror Zamir)
A football experience that is unlikely to be repeated.
A fan on the field in Doha (Photo: Reuters)
The police, who gathered around the fans, did not interfere with the celebration.
They stood aside, kept order and let people express their feelings.
The fans have already sung about the fact that they lost to France, but they will beat Croatia, whom they will meet in the match for third place tonight.
Until the wee hours of the night, the Moroccans celebrated a wonderful World Cup for their team. A historic World Cup, which will be remembered for generations. They showed how proud they are In their players, who provided in Qatar the most sensational performance in the history of the World Cup, they know that they experienced a football experience in the last month that it is highly doubtful that they will ever experience again in their lifetime.
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