Morocco coach praises team after beating Portugal 1-0

Morocco’s goalkeeper #01 Yassine Bounou celebrates winning the Qatar 2022 World Cup quarter-final football match between Morocco and Portugal at the Al-Thumama Stadium in Doha on Dec. 10, 2022. (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / Agence France-Presse)

DOHA, Qatar – Morocco coach Walid Regragui lauded the battling spirit of his injury-hit side after they beat Portugal 1-0 on Saturday to become the first African country ever to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

Youssef En-Nesyri’s header late in the first half sent the Atlas Lions through to a last-four showdown with reigning champions France or England.

“We came up against a really great Portugal team. We’re drawing on all we have, we still have guys injured. I told the guys before the match we had to write history for Africa. I’m very, very happy,” Regragui told France’s TF1.

Regragui, a France-born former Morocco international, had already made history of his own as the first African coach to take a team into the World Cup quarter-finals.

Morocco have now defeated three of Europe’s strongest teams in Qatar — beating Belgium in the group stage and Spain on penalties in the last 16 — after drawing 0-0 with 2018 runners-up Croatia in their opening match.

Winger Sofiane Boufal hopes there is more to come.

“It’s crazy. We’re living and dream and we don’t want to wake up. I have goosebumps,” he said.

“Everything we have, we deserve. We work hard. It’s not over. There’s still the semi-final and god willing, the final.”