Nigeria icon Jay-Jay Okocha has highlighted the key factors in Morocco’s amazing run at the 2022 World Cup as they rewrote the history books on Saturday.
The Atlas Lions became the first African team to reach the semi-finals in the tournament’s history when they beat Portugal 1-0 at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha.
Walid Regragui’s side went through the group stages unbeaten and conceded just one goal in their opening three matches before going on to keep another two clean sheets against Spain and their Iberian neighbours.
Okocha gave his views on the North Africans’ historic achievement while working as an analyst on SuperSport during the quarter-final tie between France and England on Saturday night, claiming the Moroccans relied more on unity than star players like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
“When you love playing for your nation there’s no limit to what you can achieve and these [Moroccan] guys put in everything and got their reward,” the 49-year-old said.
“That’s the beauty of the game. You stand a chance if you get it right. Forget about stars, forget about what you have achieved before. What counts is the game in front of you and they have shown that if you get it right, you are capable of beating anybody.
“They have team spirit. They haven’t got superstars like Ronaldo or Messi in their squad but what they got is unity. What they have got is bringing out the best from each other. They challenge each other on being your brother’s keeper, bringing out the best in each other.”
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