Morocco ‘miracle’ a long time in the making

Morocco may have defied extreme odds to get this far in the 2022 World Cup showdown, making history by becoming the first African nation to reach the semifinals, but is their gigantic feat a mere fluke? Well, it is far from it when we look back at how Achraf Hakimi and company operated so far.

While Hakimi may not be a household name yet despite being possibly the best right back in the world, in club football, he has been sharing the limelight alongside bonafide superstars, the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Lionel Messi and more, for the star-studded French League champions PSG.

Born and raised in the Spanish capital, he had honed his skills for a decade in the academy system of Real Madrid, the reigning La Liga and UEFA Champions League champions.

It would not be wrong to hypothesize that because of Hakimi and his teammates who share similar backgrounds, the Atlas Lions are now daring to dream the impossible as holders France pose the penultimate hurdle in their quest for the coveted trophy.

In Qatar, the ratio of Moroccan players with European upbringing is quite staggering. A total of 14 players in their squad were born outside the home soil and converged from six different countries -- France, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Canada. What's more, 20 of the 26-member squad play football in a variety of top European clubs, including PSG, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Sevilla, leaving only three players hailing from the local league in Morocco.

It is no surprise that footballers' profiles and personalities on the pitch are shaped by their upbringing and the leagues they play in. The likes of Hakim Ziyech, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, and Noussair Mazraoui, along with Hakimi, possess champion mentality, having played in the world's most competitive leagues, which is necessary for a team to go all the way. And the notion is clearly supported by the fact that Morocco, so far, had the last laugh against title contenders Belgium, Spain, and Portugal, and held fellow semifinalists, Croatia.

In each of those matches, Morocco's off-the-ball tactics were brilliant, often captivating. Their defence, which includes captain Romain Saiss and Hakimi, has been watertight and is supported by the midfield, with Sofiane Amrabat marshalling the line between defence and offence. They make defending look like an art, and stats back the notion as they conceded only once -- that too an own goal in the group stage against Canada -- in their five matches till date.

On the attacking front, they have been no less ferocious, inventive and opportunistic, capitalising on the few opportunities that popped up. Morocco coach Walid Regragui deserves a lot of credit for the disciplined combativeness sustained by the African nation. After their win over Portugal last Saturday, he told the reporters: "I'm sure many of you will say this is a miracle, but we've won without conceding against Belgium, Spain, and Portugal and that's the result of hard work."

Like many of his players, Regragui is also a foreign-born Moroccan national; France, in his case. The 47-year-old played 45 matches for Morocco from 2001 to 2009. A defender in his playing days, it seems his skills have rubbed off on his charges. It has been evident in Qatar as all the 11 men, time and again, managed to hold their fort and maintain composure in their own half without the ball, soaking up pressure like a sponge.

Regragui landed the job in August following the departure of the previous head coach Vahid Halilhodzic in August, but critics were unsatisfied. But with little time on hand ahead of the World Cup, he accomplished marvels. And this has happened not only because of his tactical ingenuity, but also due to a squad full of talented individuals, with a fine blend of youth and experience, who possess the ability and sheer mental strength to implement what has been taught by the coach from minute one to 90, or 120 if need be.

Morocco's miracle run was indeed in the making but they cannot afford to bask in their already-achieved glory as they must adopt the same tactics against France tonight at Al-Bayt Stadium.

Will they be able to extend the dream run and make it to the final by blunting the intimidating attacking threat of the defending champions? If they play as they have throughout the tournament, they certainly can.