Morocco rewrites the history of the World Cup with an unprecedented African achievement sports

The Moroccan national team continued to write its legendary saga in the World Cup finals, confirming that it is no longer just a participant in the global forum, but rather has become the dominant force and the loudest voice of African football throughout history.

This brilliance was embodied in a historic crossing that made the “Atlas Lions” the first African and Arab team ever to succeed in reaching the quarter-finals in two consecutive editions of the World Cup (2022 and 2026). With this unique achievement, Morocco not only consolidated its continental leadership, but also equaled the record for the most African teams to reach the quarter-finals in history, with Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana participating.

This Moroccan victory was not just a fleeting victory, but was accompanied by remarkable tactical intelligence and a superior ability to resolve battles with the least possible offensive effort, as the Lions achieved victory despite making only five shots throughout the match, which is the fewest number of shots taken by a team to win a match in the World Cup knockout rounds since 1966.

A historic double for Onahi

This high tactical discipline coincided with an individual brilliance, as Azzedine Ounahi succeeded in making history, after becoming the first Moroccan player to score a brace in one World Cup match since the legend Salah Eddine Bassir did it against Scotland in France nearly three decades ago.

Onahi was not alone in the field of individual glory, as his colleague Ibrahim Diaz made two assists in the match, raising his total tally to four assists, as the greatest African playmaker in the history of World Cups ever.

Achraf Hakimi also strengthened his lead on the list of African players with the most participation in the history of the World Cup with 15 matches, followed by his colleague Onahi, who rose to second place with 12 matches, then goalkeeper Yassine Bono with 11 matches, equally with Cameroonian legend Francois Omam Bey.

The sixth match is refereed by Oliver

The wheel of records did not stop at the borders of players and teams, but rather extended to include the arbitration team that managed this tactical and physical battle. English referee Michael Oliver succeeded in writing his name in golden letters by officiating his sixth match in the history of the World Cup, thus equaling the record engraved in the names of his compatriots Arthur Ellis and Howard Webb as the most English referees officiating matches in the World Cup, and bringing down the curtain on a historic confrontation that will remain engraved in the minds of fans of the tournament as a witness to the greatness of Morocco, the curse of Canada, and the strangeness of numbers that are only born in the World Cup.