Source: AFP
Morocco will have the backing of an entire continent when it tries to become the first semifinalist of the World Cup in Africa by beating Portugal on Saturday, coach Walid Regragui said.
The North Africans will face Portugal at the Al Thumama Stadium as the first Arab nation to reach the quarter-finals after beating Spain on penalties in the round of 16.
A World Cup semi-final against England or France is on the line, along with a place in the history books.
Cameroon in 1990, the Senegal team in 2002 and the Ghana team in 2010 all lost in the quarterfinals.
“We have nothing to lose. The challenge is to do as well as we did in the previous matches,” Regragui said on the eve of the match against Portugal.
“We want to show that Africa deserves to be here, Morocco deserves to be here.
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“We have a whole people behind us, a continent behind us and the Arab world behind us. That’s a lot of energy behind us. We will try to do everything we can.
“We can do it, we can make history again. (The support) can push us, help us play with this pressure, not make mistakes.”
Morocco have the best defensive record of the tournament, having conceded just one goal in their four matches.
But Regragui warned: “We cannot rest on our laurels. We have not let ourselves be carried away, we have simply surprised a few people and a few algorithms who expected Belgium or Spain to be in the quarter-finals.”
ronaldo factor
Cristiano Ronaldo was a surprise omission from Portugal’s starting XI for their match against Switzerland in the round of 16, with his replacement, Goncalo Ramos, scoring a hat-trick in a 6–1 win.
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But Regragui would prefer to see the Portuguese squad without the name of the top scorer in international men’s soccer.
“They’re going to be cool,” he said. “I don’t know if Ronaldo is going to play, but I hope not. I know he is one of the best players in history, so I don’t want him to play.”
Morocco’s success in Qatar has sparked celebrations at home, but also in several European countries where the Moroccan diaspora lives.
Fourteen of Regragui’s 26 players were born outside the African country.
“People are identifying with us and we have managed to unite Moroccans behind this football team,” he said. “I think that this is worth more than anything, it is worth more than money, it is worth more than titles.
“We’ve made people happy, we’ve made people proud, but that’s not the only reason we’re here, we’re here to win games and go as far as possible in this tournament.”
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Morocco have had a series of injury problems, with full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui playing despite not being in top form.
Center back Nayef Aguerd was injured in the Spain game but could be ready to play on Saturday.
“Many injuries, sick people. We have played many games without 100 percent people,” Regragui said.
“I’m proud of that because no one has seen Morocco at 100 percent power. Aguerd is waiting tomorrow to see if he can play or not.”
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Source: AFP
