• When Achraf Hakimi calmly knocked the ball into the net after a penalty shootout against Spain.
• The thousands of spectators at Education City Stadium in Qatar let out a great sigh of relief.
• Morocco is the first Arab nation and fourth African nation to reach the quarterfinals.

Achraf Hakimi was right there. The Atlas Lions’ Spanish-born superstar wing back had a chance to send Morocco to the World Cup quarterfinals.

When Hakimi calmly knocked the ball into the net after a tense penalty shootout against Spain, the thousands of spectators at Education City Stadium in Qatar let out a great sigh of relief and then shouted.

Safa, who was also present for the December 1 match between Morocco and Canada, speculated that the excitement generated by the crowd inside the stadium likely had a “good impact” on the players.

The crowd went wild with cheering, singing, and drumming as soon as the historic match kicked off.

Getting to the quarterfinals was unfathomable, and it added to the achievements of the Arab teams Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, who had already eliminated Argentina and France, respectively, from the World Cup.

As Morocco became the first Arab nation and the fourth African country to advance to the last eight of football’s biggest event, the surge of support in the stadium was thunderous.

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