At the stadium to congratulate her son was Sofiane Boufal's mother. Head Coach Walid Regragui's mother Fatima was there too, raining kisses on her son after the game.
Fans were flanked by hundreds of police trucks securing the area as they let off fireworks and flares to the sound of honks and cheers.
As the game wound on, Morocco fans screamed "Ole, ole, ole!" in unison, drowning out the handful of Portuguese fans and whistling whenever Portugal took possession of the ball.
Spain fans were dejected to see their team crash out of the tournament.
Belgian police detained a dozen people and made one arrest on Sunday after Morocco's victory over Belgium in the World Cup match in Qatar triggered riots in Brussels with a car and some electric scooters set on fire.
Morocco have been willed on by some of the most impassioned fans at the tournament who arrived at the Education City stadium with their ear-splitting volume turned up high even before kickoff.
The din of a concerned crowd transformed into a tumultuous racket when Abdelhamid Sabiri's free kick caught out Thibaut Courtois at his near post and captain Romain Saiss added a slight touch to see Morocco into the lead.
Avinash Sable on Sunday became the first Indian track athlete to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics after finishing sixth in the Silesia Diamond League meet in Poland.
While Catalina Usme fired Colombia to a 1-0 win over Jamaica, France entered the quarters with a win over Morocco.
Nahel M's death, caught on video, has reignited longstanding complaints by poor and racially mixed urban communities of police violence and racism.
The 36-year-old was involved in match-fixing with two Algerian players
Real Madrid won the Club World Cup for a record extending fifth time after beating Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal 5-3 in the final on Saturday.
Since the beginning of the World Cup, Ilham has been cheering Morocco on in Doha.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui said Saudi Arabia's victory had given him belief.
The flying wingback is one of the key players in the north African outfit whose last-16 match in the Qatar World Cup against Spain, at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, gives them a chance to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time.
Achraf and Kylian -- born within 46 days of each other in 1998 -- play for French club Paris St Germain and reserved their bromance for after the match.
Morocco's Bounou felt dizzy but will play against Canada, says team doctor
The INS Tarkash is on her passage to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to hoist the National Flag on August 15 as part of Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.
A new cookbook not only aims at enthusing readers prepare delectable dishes by recreating recipes, but also acts as a meal solver and planner.
Bollywood star Deepika Padukone unveiled the FIFA World Cup trophy on Sunday ahead of the final between Argentina and France at the Lusail stadium in Doha.
2023 was a good year for international cinema with many strong films premiering at the Berlin, Cannes, Venice and Toronto film festivals.
Dulquer has a busy schedule... Shefali's work mode is on... Karan's Fabulous night out...
The stadiums at Qatar offer plenty of wisdom and chutzpah on how to take our own lives forward.
'When I came to India a year ago, all I knew were two words: 'Accha' and 'Namaste'.'
The classical Middle Eastern snack gets a chicken twist.
With Mbappe on the left flank of France's attack, he will cross paths with right-back Hakimi, the player he took under his wing when the Moroccan joined PSG from Inter Milan in 2021.
Asked if the result could have been different if Ronaldo had played from the beginning of the game, Portuguese fan Filipa Ramires said "it wouldn't have mattered".
Royals and world leaders gathered at London's Westminster Abbey on Monday morning to bid farewell to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.
France will be bidding to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to retain the title.
Brazil exited the World Cup on Wednesday hoping a new generational talent will emerge as Marta's sixth and final Women's World Cup ended with a 0-0 draw against Jamaica
Images from the FIFA World Cup third place playoff match between Croatia and Morocco on Saturday.
Three Indian peacekeepers, who lost their lives serving under the UN flag last year, are among the 103 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers who will be honoured posthumously with a prestigious medal in the United Nations for their service and supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.
Morocco are happy to sit back and look to punish opponents on the counter-attack using the speed and skill of Hakim Ziyech
Still full of running in the final minutes at 1-0 up, he provided the cross to Zakaria Aboukhlal who clipped it into the roof of the net to seal the victory as the stadium boiled over.
'I'm not worried but we know they beat big teams to get there and we're going to take it seriously. It's not a surprise to see them here anymore. They deserve to be here.'
More than 50 Africa-born or African-origin players are spread across 11 teams -- excluding sides from the continent -- that are part of the tournament in Qatar.
Morocco were happy to allow Spain possession but in the end, were desperately hanging on for the shootout as they battled injury and fatigue and lived dangerously in the closing stages.
The win against Chennaiyin FC also meant FC Goa are the only team this season to take home all the six points on offer from the first two matches. As a result, the club are currently at the top of the standings as well.
New Zealand boxer David Nyika did not face many problems on his way to a 5-0 victory against Youness Baalla in his Olympic heavyweight debut on Tuesday other than an attempted bite from his Moroccan opponent.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances