The Internet Reacts to Morocco’s Saddening Loss in the FIFA World Cup’s Semi-Finals

Some laughable content despite the disappointment

With all the goodwill and spirit in the world, Walid Regragi’s boys, dubbed the surprise side of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, were unfortunately unable to secure a spot in the football tournament’s final game as Morocco, for the first time since the competition kicked off last month, suffered from its first loss to reigning World Cup champions, France, on Wednesday night in Doha.

Conceding two goals, one in each half, the Atlas Lions did not manage to keep their momentum going, after a series of prodigious back-to-back wins against Belgium, Canada, Spain, and Portugal, and are officially out of one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events. 

A win against Les Bleus would have sent a strong message from supporters of the North African Kingdom, who collectively saw a historic and profound meaning in the much-anticipated fixture. After knocking out former colonizing powers, namely Spain and Portugal, out of the World Cup on their way to the semi-finals in preceding weeks, a triumph against France would have, at least virtually, set the records straight and served as superficial revenge for the decades spent under their dominance as well. 

With one last game left, against 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia for third place this Saturday, fans, although devastated by the defeat, turned to Twitter, to honor, ironize, and share their two cents over yesterday evening’s match and the squad’s impressive run in the tournament. 

Star boy of the competition Kylian Mbappé, who is close friends with Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi in real life, made a heartwarming gesture following the game’s final whistle, taking to the bird app to console his fellow PSG teammate — a curtsy not many other players have made since the World Cup began on Nov. 20. 

Other users of the social media website took the time instead to address, what in their eyes were, controversial refereeing decisions, claiming that most of the umpire’s rulings favored France and hindered Morocco’s chances of levelling up after Theo Hernandez’s early opening of the score in the fifth minute of the fixture.  

The result of the game obviously came with a handful of laughable content, despite the disappointment, including Tweets and memes about how fans are dealing with the unexpected loss, bashing France as a whole, and showing love and support to Argentina, the other finalists of the World Cup, that will face France on Dec. 18 for the ultimate prize.

Yes, we might still have to wait a little longer until we see an Arab or African side lift the much-coveted World Cup, but one thing is for sure: Morocco might have lost the game but it certainly won the heart of the entire world. 

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