Moroccan soccer fans reacted with joy as their team became the first from any African country to reach a World Cup semi-final
The 1-0 victory over Portugal was celebrated further afield, with exuberant fans from Abidjan in Ivory Coast to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia lauding what they saw as a historic win for both Africa and the Arab World.
To the rhythmic playing of a horn, men and women jumped up and down waving the Moroccan flag - part of a sea of people who had filled Rabat's city centre, raising a cacophonous din of triumph.Portugal is Morocco's third over a highly ranked European team in the tournament, a run that had brought delight both in Morocco and for Africans and Arabs more widely.
Arab and African political and sporting leaders paid tribute to Morocco, including tweets from the prime ministers of Libya, Iraq and the Palestinian Authority and the rulers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. In an Abidjan cafe where people were watching the game and drinking beer to celebrate the win, customer Jules Goule said Ivorians were proud of Morocco's win. "Through Morocco Africa has just shown that it can compete with other continents in football," he said."Waoh, waoh... Morocco! It's with great joy! Africa is shining! Go Africa!" shouted Agwe Jefferson, 28, a driver in Cameroon's capital Yaounde.
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