Journalists, athletes and officials at the ongoing 2022 National Sports Festival, as well as Asaba residents, all celebrated wildly after Morocco qualified for the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar on Tuesday.
Morocco defeated Spain in a penalty shoot out, the first time the North African country would qualify for the quarter-finals of the World Cup and the fourth time an African nation made it past the round of 16.
As news spread like wild fire around the Stephen Keshi Stadium that Morocco had survived the barrage of La Roja onslaughts, while dealing a few blows themselves and had taken the game to penalties after full and extra time ended goalless, all rushed towards the giant viewing screen in front of the media centre at the stadium to watch the final minutes that would determine destiny.
A hush fell over the crowd of over 50, who were in the viewing centre, with some sitting on the stairs and a lot more on the floor looking on in bated breath as the penalties kicked off.
The hush fell after a second’s daze as Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi’s winning Panenka hit the middle of the net to hand the North Africans a 3-0 win.
Immediately, the crowd erupted into rapturous jubilations. At that moment, the festival paused as everyone cheered on the Atlas Lions, Africa’s last team in the tournament, for making the continent proud.
Ifeoluwa Ogungbemile, who was among the crowd, said, “For a long time, African teams have been the underdogs of the football world, so it is very refreshing to see an African team in the quarter-finals.
“I think it is something we can rejoice collectively about regardless of our colour and language. It is a symbolic representation for a continent that can’t seem to win.”
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