Morocco’s miraculous run at the World Cup ends in defeat
By LUIS ANDRES HENAO
Associated Press
AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — Morocco’s miraculous World Cup run is over. The Atlas Lions made history by becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals. But Morocco lost to Croatia 2-1 in the match for third place at Khalifa International Stadium. Morocco was also the first Arab nation to go so far in the tournament. Morocco’s showing in Qatar provided the most surprising story of the World Cup and sparked an outpouring of pride among Arab countries. Moroccan coach Walid Regragui says “when we wake up tomorrow we will realize how much we have achieved.” Midfielder Ilias Chair says Morocco “wrote history.”