'Proud of Atlas Lions': Sheikh Mohammed thanks Morocco team for their performance in Qatar World Cup
'Proud of your performance, spirit..Thank you, the Atlas Lions': Sheikh Mohammed
Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, took to his twitter account to thank the Moroccan football team for their performance and spirit
“We are proud of the lions, proud of their performance and spirit. Proud of reaching the semifinals, Morocco made the Arabs raise their heads up in the world’s biggest sports event. Thank you, the Atlas lions,” Sheikh Mohammed said in a tweet.
France ended Morocco's World Cup dream as goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani gave the holders a 2-0 win in their semi-final clash and set up a showdown on Sunday with Lionel Messi's Argentina.
But Morocco, the first African and Arab team ever to reach the last four at a World Cup, fought on despite losing key players to injury only to see substitute Kolo Muani seal victory for Les Bleus with a late second.
Morocco broke ground for Africa and generated an outpouring of pride among Arab nations after topping a group containing Croatia and Belgium and eliminating two more European powers — Spain and Portugal — in the knockout stage. Their players gave France a far-from-easy ride, too, before collapsing on the ground in despair after the final whistle.