There were some incredible scenes in Morocco's capital Rabat, as the people honoured the national team with a heroes' welcome following the Atlas Lions' historic success at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Here's a look!
The story
Morocco finished fourth at the tournament in Qatar, the furthest any African country has gone at the World Cup. The team were defensively sound throughout the tournament, as they only conceded five goals in seven games, a feat that has stunned manager Walid Regragui.
"If someone had told me before the tournament that we would play seven matches in Qatar, we would have been happy," the 47-year-old told BeIN Sports.
"All Moroccan, African and Arab people have seen how this team fought and wanted to make the country happy … We will try to return after four years."
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The streets were littered with jubilant supporters, with the atmosphere painted in the side's traditional red colours.
Perhaps many would agree that there were very little expectations for Morocco ahead of the tournament, as many had assumed that reigning African champions Senegal would be the continents' standout team at the competition. They topped their group after picking a draw against Croatia in their opening before beating both Belgium and Canada to secure a spot in the round of 16 for the first time since 1986.
They beat 2010 champions Spain in the round of six, breaking a few records on the way, including becoming only the fourth African nation to reach the quarter-finals after Cameroon, Senegal, and Ghana. 2016 European champions Portugal were the next to fall in the last eight, with Morocco being the only African semi-finalist in the history of the tournament.
Some of their standout performers throughout the tournament include Yassine Bono, Sofyan Amrabat, Azzedine Ounahi, while established big names such as Hakim Ziyech and Achraf Hakimi also provided some stunning moments, including the Paris Saint-Germain's cheeky panenka penalty that knocked out his country of birth Spain.
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