By all accounts, Morocco had no business making it this far in the World Cup.
The first African nation to ever make it to the semifinals of the men’s tournament, Morocco became the Cinderella story that the world couldn’t get enough of as it took on France with a chance to advance to the World Cup final against Argentina. But sometimes the glass slipper doesn't fit. And on Wednesday, the Moroccans fell 2–0 to Les Bleus.
Still, the run has sparked excitement among the Moroccan community in Greater Boston.
In Revere, a city whose population is roughly 10% Moroccan, several dozen Morocco supporters gathered in the auditorium at Beachmont Veterans Memorial School to watch the match, all clad in a mix of red, green and white to match the team's uniforms. For those in the crowd and beyond, the run to the tournament thus far has been nothing but magical.
Morad Bouzidi, the owner of the Mo’Rockin Fusion restaurant, spoke to GBH News on Tuesday and said people have come up to him and shown love for the Atlas Lions.
“As I’m working, I’ll see a lot of people, especially Americans, they come and congratulate me,” he said. “And that actually shocked me how everyone is supportive and really wants Morocco to go even further.”
Heading into the match, Morocco was the biggest underdog — well, maybe the biggest underdog ever, in any contest. Sure, David faced a giant, but Goliath couldn’t move on a pitch the way French star Kylian Mbappé can.
Combine that with France’s history of colonization in Morocco and you had all the ingredients for a match with implications bigger than any scoreboard could measure.
“It’s very personal, it’s very personal to win,” Bouzidi said. “Because you feel like you are getting back, taking back everything they took from you back then in the past.”
Mohamed Karrossi, who was rocking a white Morocco kit, said it was the Arab and African dream to have a team make it this far in the Cup.
“Thank God, we made it,” said Karrossi, who used to live in Revere and came down from his current home in the Methuen area to watch the match. “But we worked hard for it. Our team worked hard for it. From the little ones all the way up to our king, we support them.”
Mouad Azzaf, who lives in Newton and came to Revere with his wife, said what Morocco has done is a generational success.
“We’re playing for almost all African and all the Arab countries,” he said. “Like, we’re representing billions of people now. So it’s a big responsibility. But it’s already such an achievement already, so we’re proud of them, no matter what the result.”
Watching with the small but passionate crowd in Revere felt like the closest you could get to being in Morocco this side of the Atlantic. Everyone in the room rose and fell with every close call for Morocco — of which there were plenty, given 13 shots for the squad.
But although Morocco played valiantly, French goals in the 5th and 79th minutes were too much to overcome. Still, the team has one more game to play in the third-place match against Croatia on Saturday.
And in a World Cup mired by controversy and cloaked in the shadow of human suffering that went into the very foundations of this tournament, Morocco’s run served as a reminder of just how beautiful the game can be.
After the second goal by France, some in the crowd left the Revere auditorium, but most everyone stayed until the final whistle. The joy that had been there in the beginning of the match was gone as the game came to a close, a couple of the younger fans had tears in their eyes.
Luafa Kinalui, though, said that she didn’t feel like Morocco had just lost.
“Arriving to the semifinal, it's an achievement that [no other] African team [has] achieved. And I’m still proud of my team. They did a great job today,” she said. “I really enjoyed the match, but it’s the game. One is loser and one is winner.”
