Sadness descended on the Moroccan national team fans after the 'Atlas Lions' lost to France in the World Cup quarter-finals, ending their journey in the tournament. However, Moroccans reaffirmed their support for their team and pride in what the players achieved, expressing confidence in the Lions' ability to come back strong in the next edition and continue their dream of competing for the title.

The first half ended goalless, with the most notable event being Yassine Bounou saving a penalty after French captain Kylian Mbappé was fouled in the area by defender Noussair Mazraoui. Mbappé took the spot-kick, but Bounou managed to catch the ball as it crept to the left, a save that made fans tremble and chant Bounou's name.

Bounou excelled in several saves that prevented the 'Atlas Lions' from conceding certain goals, as the Al Hilal goalkeeper skillfully neutralized the danger.

The French team controlled the early stages of the match in Morocco's half, but after the cooling break, the Moroccans held onto the ball and tried several times to reach the French net, but without success.

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The Lions maintained their defensive organization and managed to neutralize several French attacks from both flanks.

But France decided the match in the second half, when Mbappé opened the scoring after an hour of play, before setting up the second goal just six minutes later with a pass to Ousmane Dembélé, who slotted the ball into the net with a low shot to Bounou's left.

The Moroccan team could not overcome their French counterparts, losing by the same score as in the 2022 World Cup semi-final in Qatar.

After the match, footage showed Moroccan players shedding tears following the defeat, especially as they had hoped to surpass France and reach the final, and perhaps even win the title.

Sky News Arabia spoke to several match viewers in the fan zone in Agadir, south-central Morocco. They expressed regret over the Lions' loss despite their good performance, saying they had hoped to continue their journey in the World Cup held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and to replicate the achievement of the 2022 Qatar World Cup when Morocco became the first African and Arab team to reach the semi-finals.

In this context, Nour Eddine, a young Moroccan wearing the red Lions jersey, said: 'I expected Morocco to advance past the Roosters, but what happened happened. The players gave their best and reached the quarter-finals. No problem, we'll try again next time.'

Nour Eddine told Sky News Arabia that all players performed well, whether Hakimi or Ibrahim Díaz, and affirmed his support for the Moroccan team despite the result.

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Meanwhile, Hisham said the match between Morocco and France was very good, but he questioned the penalty awarded to France, noting that the Moroccan players gave a good performance and that the French players are professionals who managed to pressure the Lions.

Mohamed said that France were the clear favorites to advance to the semi-finals, adding that the plan, according to Mohamed Wahbi, was '100% defensive, and we lacked a striker to create danger and score goals.'

Mohamed told Sky News Arabia: 'France pressed Morocco, and you cannot play defensively the whole match and leave gaps in midfield, because France will exploit them to score goals, and that's what happened.'

Comparing the France match in the 2022 World Cup semi-final with this match, both ending with the same score, Mohamed saw that both matches were equal in strength and performance, although the Lions did not create enough chances in this match.