The Arab world's celebration of Morocco's victory

From Casablanca to Baghdad, celebrations follow Morocco's historic 1-0 victory over Portugal.

[Thami Nouas/Reuters] Fans watch Morocco vs. Portugal in Casablanca, a port city in western Morocco.

Morocco's World Cup fairytale continues to enchant football lovers after the Atlas Lions beat Portugal 1-0 to secure their place in the tournament's semi-finals. 

Saturday's victory was especially sweet in the Arab world because Morocco became the first Arab or African nation to reach the last four in the 92-year history of the World Cup.

Casablanca, a port city in western Morocco, saw scenes of celebration as individuals poured onto the roads to commend their country's surprising against-the-chances triumph.

At the end of the list, "It is completely electric. As  Nicolas Haque reported from Casablanca, "people here have been dancing and celebrating, and it is going to continue throughout the night."

He added that while many thousands of Morocco fans have traveled to Qatar to support the Atlas Lions, others have reversed their trip in order to experience the lively atmosphere in the North African nation.

Haque stated, "Two families flew from Saudi Arabia, another from Qatar to be among Moroccans and experience this moment."

"And a great deal more people will want to come now to witness the making of history."

According to Adnane Bennis, managing director of the English-language Morocco World News news website, there are "no words" to fully describe the significance of Morocco's victory over Portugal for the nation, Africa, and the Arab world as a whole.

"It is enormous for us. From Rabat, Morocco's capital, Bennis told, "When I saw us qualify for the semi-finals, I couldn't believe my eyes."

He added, "We are not going to sleep tonight," stating that Moroccans in the country and abroad would celebrate their victory until dawn.

“This is a fantastic victory for Morocco, a historic victory, and it did not happen overnight. The dream is still alive, the journey is still ongoing, and we are now two victories away from winning the World Cup. We believed in ourselves and our team.

Joy in Gaza The entire region experienced similar outpourings of joy.

The largest sports hall in the besieged Gaza Strip was packed with thousands of Moroccan supporters cheering on the team.

Youmna ElSayed stated that the historic outcome was viewed as a victory for "all Arab nations" by those present.

They yelled, clapped, played the drum, and sang. She continued, "And then, at the sound of the final whistle, thousands took to the streets to begin their celebrations and to demonstrate their support, joy, and happiness for Morocco."

ElSayed continued, "Dozens of fans we spoke to tonight told us how important this game was for them."

Morocco fans said their greatest hopes and dreams had been surpassed by the Atlas Lions' mesmerizing journey to the last four, where they will face either England or France on December 14. Qatar is hosting the first Middle Eastern World Cup.

From Doha's Souq Waqif, where fans who were unable to obtain tickets for the spectacle at Al Thumama Stadium gathered to watch the game on television, fan Abdul Aziz told, "This was a great match, [coach] Walid Regragui's side was very tactical, and the whole team showed their quality."

He continued, "They played two different games across the two halves; the first half was one they wanted to win by at least one goal, and the second half was a very tactical showing." "They played two different games across the two halves." And they ought to have won."

Morocco's "symbolic" victory with a clean sheet in Qatar marked the culmination of a determined defensive performance that has seen them play more than seven hours of football without giving up a goal.

The Bahraini national Hussein said that the outcome made him feel so proud.

He told at Souq Waqif, "I am so happy – this is the first time the World Cup is in an Arabic country, and now we have an Arabic team reaching the semifinals for the first time." This makes me so proud. It is incredible.

Youssef En Nesyri's crucial header in the 42nd minute sealed Morocco's victory, which was also embraced by supporters in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.

When reporting from Baghdad, Mahmoud Abdelwahed stated, "People here are celebrating, and they will continue celebrating overnight."

He went on to say, "They say that this victory is so symbolic because it is not only for Morocco but also for the entire African continent, the entire Arab world, and the entire Middle East region."

"People are very excited... They say that today the feeling is like Iraq has won this match."