Morocco coach Walid Regragui thrown in the air by his players after they defeated Portugal in the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Dec. 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
Morocco's history-making run at the World Cup has rocked the African continent and will motivate the next generation of African football stars.
ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A semi-outdoor sports bar in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa was filled with football-enthusiasts unlike before to watch Morocco's national football team (aka the Atlas Lions) World Cup match against Portugal on Saturday.
Late comers were swiftly ushered to stand outside the makeshift tent. Minutes later the semi-outdoor sports bar went into a frenzy as Ethiopians, just like the rest of Africa, celebrated the Atlas Lions' win, eventually becoming the first-ever African football team to reach the World Cup semi-finals at the expense of Portugal.
The Atlas Lions have emerged as this World Cup's best surprise story, in which after shocking Spain, they have now eliminated Portugal with a 1-0 win as Youssef En-Nesyri scored the only goal of the match.
For hours after the football match, Ethiopians from all walks of life were chanting "viva Morocco, viva Africa," as the Atlas Lions carried the rest of the African continent along for a surprise World Cup ride.
Tewodros Aboneh, 31, was one of the hundreds of Ethiopians who have watched the match at the sports bar. Aboneh spoke highly of Morocco's achievements, arguing that the triumph will motivate the next generation of African football stars.
"This result, by itself, is something that we Africans will carry for decades to motivate and produce the next generation of African football stars, who can dominate the world of football," Aboneh told Xinhua after the much-anticipated match.
Among the first to congratulate the Atlas Lions was the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat.
"Morocco, what immense joy and pride offered to Africa," the AU Commission chairperson said shortly after the quarter-final match.
Expressing Africa's excitement and joy, Faki described the milestone as "a grandiose African achievement unique in its kind."
For soccer fan Binyam Kibrom, 24, Morocco's footballing triumph at the World Cup serves as a textbook example that showcases Africans, with adequate preparations, can compete at the highest level in the world of football.
"Some, albeit few, were saying Morocco was lucky to have achieved thus far. In fact, they were very consistent, proving against the best of the best to reach the semi-finals," Kibrom said.
As the celebrations continue in Ethiopia and beyond across the continent, many football-enthusiasts are hoping the Atlas Lions would further carry the entire continent into football's highest stage. ■
