Tens of thousands of Moroccans thronged the capital Tuesday to welcome home their national football team, the first Arab or African squad ever to reach the semifinal of a World Cup.
The team and their coach Walid Regragui waved from an open-topped bus as they were driven from the airport and around central Rabat, accompanied by dozens of police cars and motorbikes with flashing lights and wailing sirens.
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The crowd cheered and some waved flares as fireworks crackled in the sky over the seaside capital.
“I’m so proud of our team. Who knows – maybe next time they could win the cup,” said Adam Najah, a 27-year-old waiter from the city of Meknes.