A closer look at the key men behind magical Morocco bid for World Cup glory

The Atlas Lions have beaten Belgium, Spain – on penalties – and Portugal on their historic journey into the last four

Carl Markham
Sunday 11 December 2022 14:36 GMT
Comments
Morocco player Sofiane Boufal dances on pitch with his mother following World Cup win

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Morocco’s emergence as the surprise package of the World Cup has seen them become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.

They have beaten Belgium, Spain – on penalties – and Portugal on their historic journey into the last four.

Here, we take a look at some of the players who have helped them get there.

Yassine Bounou (Sevilla)

The 31-year-old – known as Bono – was named LaLiga’s top goalkeeper last season and he has carried that form into this tournament. He has kept four clean sheets in five matches, conceding just once (to Canada), and saved two of Spain’s three penalties in the last-16 shootout.

The right-back’s quality was not in question, considering for whom he plays, but his importance to the team has become increasingly evident as the tournament has progressed. Hakimi has been a driving force from deep on the right and his audacious panenka in the shootout win over Spain highlighted his confidence.

Sofyan Amrabat (midfielder, Fiorentina)

Morocco’s defensive style means Amrabat has a key role for the side, anchoring the base of midfield. His performances at the tournament have seen him allocated an even more restricted job protecting the back four than he has at club level but it is one in which he has excelled.

Hakim Ziyech (winger, Chelsea)

Having returned from ‘retirement’ earlier this year after a fall-out with former manager Vahid Halilhodzic, Ziyech has flourished under Walid Regragui. He is the team’s joint top-scorer at the tournament with two but leads the side for crosses, shots on target and passes and his link-up play with Hakimi is pivotal.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in