iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
Zhang, who has already claimed the 200m fly crown in Hangzhou to go with her Olympic gold, surged to the wall in a new Games-record 55.86sec
KT APPDOWNLOAD
Sheikh Mohammed, Hamdan celebrate as Morocco creates history to enter World Cup quarters
The Atlas Lions eliminated European giants on penalty kicks, becoming the first Arab country to reach the quarter-finals
Morocco players celebrate after they won on penalty shoot-out the Qatar 2022 World Cup round of 16. Photo: AFP
The Atlas Lions roared into a historic quarter-final berth at the Education City stadium in Qatar on Tuesday, beating giant Spain out of the World Cup in a last-16 penalty shootout.
Achraf Hakimi, a product of the Real Madrid youth system, struck the decisive penalty to send the Spaniards crashing out and Morocco into the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time.
The Arab world, rooting for the brave North African team, erupted with joy and pride. Supporters in fan zones across the UAE were ecstatic about the historic achievement. The ear-shattering cacophonic combination of singing, drumming, jeering and whistling from Morocco’s supporters has created an atmosphere like no other in Qatar’s stadiums and UAE fan zones.
Their victory is not only a triumph for Morocco but an additional gloss to another Arab success at the tournament like Saudi Arabia beating Argentina and Tunisia upsetting holders France in the group phase.
Minutes after the final whistle, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, congratulated the team calling them 'the lions'.
Morocco's Jawad El Yamiq celebrates after the match as Morocco qualify for the quarter finals. Photo: Reuters
Expressing his joy, Sheikh Mohammed took to Twitter to write: "Nothing is impossible for Moroccans, nothing is impossible for Arabs. The Lions and men of Morocco - how proud we are!"
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, congratulated the team for the 'deserved victory and outstanding heroic performance'.
He wrote on Twitter, "Today, the Atlas Lions scored an unprecedented achievement in the history of Arab football by qualifying for the quarter-finals."
ALSO READ:
Morocco rode a wave of passionate support and is keeping the World Cup dreams of the Arab world alive.
The country now have a chance to become both the Arab world and Africa's first-ever semi-finalists if they continue to use the overwhelming support that has backed them through an impressive array of results.
They will play on Saturday in the quarter-final at Doha's Al Thumama Stadium against either Portugal or Switzerland, who are in action later on Tuesday.
More news from Sports
Afghanistan women's volleyball team want to give hope to the hopeless — the women athletes left behind in their homeland
David Beckham Elkatohchoongo and Ronaldo Laitonjam Singh are both track cyclists for India
'Our objective is to share with the youngsters and parents the opportunities to play golf at University in the US,' says Senior Consultant Macaulay
It was an unforgettable day for the UAE which also claimed two more medals in judo events
Hosted by Abu Dhabi Sports Council the men’s Eisenhower Trophy and women’s Espirito Santo Trophy are scheduled for October
Played at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club and supported by FirstPoint USA, the event also attracted promising young golfers from overseas
China grabbed the first eSports gold when they defeated Malaysia in the final of smartphone game Arena of Valor