Morocco only needs a draw with Canada, this Thursday (1st), to qualify for the round of 16 for the second time in history. In 1986, it closed the first phase at the head of a group that had England, Poland and Portugal, and was eliminated in the fourth game, with a free-kick by Lothar Matthäus, from Germany, in the last minute.
Moroccans are not “Africa” in the World Cup. They are Arabs.
Mariah is a waitress at a hotel restaurant in Doha. She was born in Casablanca. During the Moroccan national anthem, minutes before the victory over Belgium, she put her hand on her chest and sang to attention.
The day before, I was madly rooting for Tunisia. I ask: “If you are Moroccan, why do you support the Tunisians?” He replied: “We are neighbors”. The Arabs are at the Cup rooting for the Arabs, which perhaps helps to explain the Saudi victory against Argentina.
The only Arab country to collect defeats was Qatar, the first host eliminated in the second round.
If the Moroccan surprise is confirmed, there will necessarily be one of the 2018 semifinalists absent from the round of 16. Either Belgium, in third place, or Croatia, runners-up.
Zebra in World Cup is when there are no zebras.
Four years ago nobody was betting on Croatians and Belgians in the semifinals. No one imagined Costa Rica in the quarterfinals of 2014, after eliminating Italy and England, nor France excluded in the group stage, in 2010, Portugal semifinalist, in 2006, or Turkey and South Korea, in 2002.
The disunity of the Belgium squad is the apparent reason for the poor start, thin victory against Canada and unexpected defeat to Morocco. Defender Vertonghen spoke about the slowness – or old age – of the attack. Spanish coach Roberto Martínez played down the crisis.
Croatia has an older team than Belgium. Modric was the man capable of overturning the ten-year reign with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo taking turns as the best in the world. He is already 37 years old. Like him, eight starters passed 30.
The generation goes down in history for reaching a final, as the old Yugoslavs hoped to do before the Balkan War.
In 1987, in Chile, Yugoslavia eliminated Brazil and won the under-20 world title against Germany with a powerful generation and five players who would lead Croatia to its first semi-final, in France-1998: Jarni, Stimac, Suker, Boban and Prosinecki.
A year before the outbreak of war, Yugoslavia reached the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia and almost eliminated Argentina, in a penalty shoot-out in which Maradona wasted his kick. Three months before the battles for Croatian independence began, Red Star were champions of Europe, with Prosinecki in their midfield and Savicevic in attack.
It was the richest period in the history of Slavic football, aborted by the war.
Today, Croatia does not want to be surprised by the elimination, nor to be seen as an underdog. He simply intends to go to the finals again.
The Croatian coat of arms, checkered in white and red, stamps his shirt and pushes Croatia, just as Morocco is carried away by the singing of Mariah’s anthem.
It is a unit that perhaps Belgium lacks.
Perhaps…
World Cup is not won with your hand on your heart. You win with your feet and with the ball.
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