Morocco’s Historic World Cup Run: First African Team to Reach Semifinals

This competition was historic with the exceptional performance of the Moroccan team, the first African selection to reach the semi-finals. "I would be lying to you if I told you I wasn’t surprised to see them reach the semi-finals. Of course I’m surprised, frankly. I thought they might get out of the group stage but they still had to create the exploit. But what they did is just exceptional," said the former Atlas Lion, in an interview on Canal Plus Sport Afrique.

During the tournament, the Moroccan team conquered the hearts of millions of people who all identified with it in one way or another. Referring to this unity, the former Bordeaux player noted that "they represented Morocco, the Moroccan diaspora, Africa, the Arab world, the Muslim world. I was surprised to see so many countries behind Morocco."

For Chamakh, the national team coach, Walid Regragui, is the main architect of this exploit. "The credit goes to him especially," he pointed out, noting that during the matches, "the players were fighting for Morocco, for their families and everything, but you see they were also fighting for their coach." "I think the message he conveyed may have transcended them, motivated them. I’m also happy for him because it wasn’t easy to take over the team three months before the World Cup," he concluded.