Also, the way they did it: Morocco remain undefeated and have left behind Belgium, Spain and now Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

They only conceded one goal: the one scored by Canada in the pool series.

All done under the direction of Walid Regragui, a former player who had only had coaching experience in Moroccan football, but who managed to give an identity to a team led by PSG winger Achraf Hakimi and Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech.

Here at BBC Mundo we tell you three of the reasons for this historic feat which could turn epic if they make it to the final on November 18 in Qatar on Wednesday.

Perhaps the main reason why Morocco are in the semi-finals of this World Cup This is because they had a clear strategy that each of their players applied.

And it is applied with such discipline and rigor that opposing teams seem to be climbing a rocky mountain that they will never be able to reach the top of.

Although many have called Regragui’s approach ultra-defensive, the truth is that it saw them beat Belgium 2-0, not concede an inch against Spain and now beat Portugal 1- 0 who had just beaten Switzerland 6-1 in the final. eighth finals.

It is the team that has conceded the fewest goals in the World Cup: one against Canada. Croatia follows with two.

“Morocco played great football, especially against Portugal. ‘they’ve been setting up for the goal this Saturday.’ he explained Pat Nevin, a former Scottish footballer and BBC commentator.

Despite the fact that it was the collective assembly that brought Morocco to this unprecedented instance for them, the truth is that well-known players from all over the world are part of this team.

Among them stand out the right winger of English Chelsea Hakim Ziyech and the French side of PSG, Achraf Hakimi.

What is curious is that neither of these two players was born in Morocco.

Ziyech was born in the Netherlands. In fact, he was part of the youth team of this country. However, when it came time to decide which team to play for in the senior category, he opted for Morocco, where his parents were born.

The Chelsea winger was part of Ajax Amsterdam and currently plays for the British club, with whom he won the 2021 Champions League.

For his part, Hakimi, who was born in Madrid, Spain, was more direct and always opted for Morocco among the youth teams.

He was part of the Real Madrid team, but was transferred to Borussia Dortmund and then to PSG, the team he currently belongs to.

These players are joined by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, voted best African player in the Spanish championship (he is part of Seville) and ninth best goalkeeper on the planet.

This seems like a minor issue, but the support that the “Atlas Lions”as they are called, is comparable only to that received by the Argentine team.

During the matches Morocco played in Qatar, the fans constantly supported them, chanting when their team had the ball and constantly whistling when the opposing team had it.

“It seems that Morocco was the host of this World Cup and not Qatar,” commented a Moroccan fan to the British newspaper. The Guardian.

And it is that something curious happened with this team: and it is that, according to BBC Mundo’s special correspondent in Doha, José Carlos Cueto, in addition to the Moroccan supporters present in Qatar, the Egyptians, Tunisians, Saudis and other Arab countries also support Morocco.

“There are Egyptians, Jordanians, Iraqis, Yemenis; they had all left their families and their jobs just to come and support Morocco,” said another fan quoted by the British newspaper.

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