It was night in Doha, where the hearts of 44,198 fans stopped.
And for all the right reasons.
Youssef En-Nesyri overcame a flailing Ruben Dias and past a defenseless Diogo Costa to score a historic goal for Morocco. Morocco knocked Portugal out of the World Cup and jeopardized Cristiano Ronaldo’s chances of winning a World Cup. In doing so, the Atlas Lions became the first African team to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup.
En-Nesyri found her footing, or pitching, in the 44th minute. She looked to latch on to a cross from Yahia Attiyat-Allah. For whatever reason, the young goalkeeper Costa stepped off his line to claim it. En-Nesyri towered over Ruben Dias and nodded gently in his bid for an indisputable goal.
His goal marked a genesis in African football. En-Nesyri helped Morocco become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals, something only a handful of World Cup teams have dreamed of doing.
Still, attitudes towards Morocco’s chances, despite repeated international victories, are pessimistic. With their semi-final bid intact, what else is needed for Morocco and Africa in general to gain respect?
The wait of 88 years
Africa’s recent World Cup success begins, ironically, with Morocco. In 1986, North Africans broke records and twisted minds as they emerged from a “Group of Death” stronger than ever. Yet African football begins with controversy, shame and sometimes triumph.
The relationship between FIFA and African football teams has traditionally been tense. Its problems date back to the 20th century. A team from Egypt struggling through a dysfunctional 1934 World Cup knockout round nearly beat Hungary, but lost 4-2 amid a sort of refereeing disaster.
Africa missed out on qualifying for 24 years due to a host of confusing and unfortunate events. Multiple withdrawals before the World Cup, World War II, and unfair qualification procedures kept Africans out of the World Cup until 1970. Eventually, FIFA allocated one qualification spot to Africa.
More success and tragedy followed at the 1982 World Cup. Algeria won two games but still failed to qualify. La Desgracia de Gijón, where West Germany and Austria played to a draw to ensure both had a place in the next round, eliminated Algeria on goal difference. It prompted a FIFA rule change, but not in time to pack up Algeria.
Cameroon, who qualified alongside Algeria, drew all three of their games. However, they missed out on a place for the next round due to goal difference.
Things picked up in 1986 with Morocco’s ferocious World Cup victory. After stalling both Poland and England, they chose a 3-1 win over Portugal to progress to the round of 16. Although Morocco narrowly lost 1-0 in death to eventual finalists West Germany, more success for Africa at the World Cup would soon follow. Bowl.
Africa becomes iconic
Roger Milla. The Cameroonian icon is arguably not just the father of Cameroonian football; but he was the catalyst for Cameroon’s historic 1990 World Cup run. When the striker wasn’t marching past the corner flag, he scored a lot of goals; four, to be exact.
It was Cameroon that paved the way for teams like Morocco. With a stunning 1-0 win over Maradona’s Argentina and a 2-1 win against Gheorghe Hagi’s Romania, they were destined to become only the second African team to reach the knockout rounds – an achievement in itself.
Cameroon was aiming for the top. Led by Roger Milla’s double, they beat Colombia 2-1 to face England in the quarterfinals. They were also minutes away from progressing to the semi-finals, but a late penalty sent the match into extra time, where Cameroon ended up losing.
With more success and iconic performances came more recognition from FIFA and broadcasters around the world. Think of Aliou Cisse’s team dancing to the quarterfinals in 2002. Or think of Asamoah Gyan leading Ghana to the last 16 in 2006 and to the quarterfinals four years later. Despite their modest success, African teams have always had deep and serious runs towards the World Cup.
That is why Morocco not only defeated Belgium in the group stage, but also overcame Spain and Portugal en route to Africa’s first semi-final, signifying a new era for African football; one where teams don’t hit a brick wall after a bit of success. With the new triumph of Morocco, it is likely that it will be replicated soon throughout Africa.
Can Morocco bring Africa more World Cup glory?
One thing that has set Morocco apart from other African countries is its actual investment of funds. Teams like Ghana and Cameroon are devastated by internal corruption in the way they allocate money.
Morocco, however, has known how to spend its money to look to the future. After relative mediocrity in the 1990s and 2000s, Morocco spent a lot of its money building the Mohamed VI Football Academy and the Mohamed VI Football Complex. Nayef Aguerd, a key player in the Moroccan defense, and Youssef En-Nesyri, the striker who scored the winning goal against Portugal, came from both academies.
Although, at the time, it seemed foolish to spend millions of dollars on a team that is long past its glory days, Morocco proved all the doubters wrong.
Some nations are following the Moroccan model for success. With the help of FIFA Forward, Tunisia renovated its training facilities by adding a medical complex and a relaxation area with spas and jacuzzis. The same program helped build new soccer fields for the youth teams of Senegal and Egypt and added new training grounds in Niger and Benin.
Africa should be grateful that it now has at least some of the infrastructure it needs to catch up with Europe and South America. But you need to take a page out of the Moroccan book. Invest in youth facilities and training camps to maximize success.
PHOTO: IMAGO/Newspix
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