Doha, Qatar – There’s only one show at Al Thumama Stadium – it’s the Lions de l’Atlas (Atlas Lions).
After what can only be described as a highly spirited affair, Morocco fan Sara Sulaiman said she was “euphoric” as her team progressed to the round of 16 of the football World Cup in Qatar, beating Canada 2-1 with goals from Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri.
This is the first time since 1986 that the North African nation has made it through to the knockout stage of the tournament. It’s also the only Arab country out of four to do so in the 2022 edition.
“I’m not just over the moon, I’m way over it. It is an incredible achievement for our small nation,” Sulaiman told Al Jazeera.
Morocco are through to the last 16 of the World Cup, thrilling their supporters and ensuring an exit for Canada, on December 1, 2022, at Al Thumama Stadium [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
The 28-year-old from Fez believes the Atlas Lions “definitely” have a chance to make it further in the tournament. They will next face Spain in a knockout match on December 6.
“I think we can win more – maybe even the tournament,” Sulaiman said, laughing loudly, adding that no matter what happened next, she was “very proud” of the team.
“They have already made us so happy. I don’t want to put more pressure,” she said.
Malek Alami, from Marrakesh, said Thursday’s win was the “happiest moment in his life”.
“I have no words, just so many feelings – all happy ones. This is an incredible achievement for us,” Alami said, adding that the qualification will “unite our country”.
The 37-year-old tourism coordinator said there will be nonstop celebrations back home.
“The party will continue until Fajr [the dawn prayer for Muslims], today,” Alami said.
Morocco defeated Canada on December 1, 2022, at Al Thumama Stadium [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Many supporters stayed on after the game ended and continued their celebrations outside the gates of the stadium.
“Always Morocco,” they cheered as they laughed with friends and family, and of course, took selfies to mark the historic occasion.
Hundreds of revellers gathered near the FIFA music stage, many carrying their children on their shoulders, shouting out “Viva la Maghreb”, or “Long Live Morocco”.
On the pitch, the Morocco players held up the flag of Palestine, something that fans have also done throughout the tournament in solidarity with the Palestinians living under occupation.
The Atlas Lions top their group after defeating Canada on December 1, 2022, at Al Thumama Stadium [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Meanwhile, Canada fans were less buoyant as they resigned themselves to their team’s exit from the tournament after losing both of their previous games.
“I think it was a good game. It’s not fun to lose,” Kelly White, 44, told Al Jazeera.
“But this tournament for us was to show the world we are [a football] nation. We can compete at the highest level,” she said. “Hopefully we will be better in 2026 when Canada will be the host. I can’t wait!”
Even before kickoff, the atmosphere at the nearly 45,000-capacity venue was electrifying.
Morocco fans, who have been exuberant in their support for their national team throughout the tournament, slowly made their way into the venue in several large groups, singing and dancing to Arab and French songs, including Algerian singer Khaled’s C’est la vie, to uplift the mood.
Once the game started, every move forward by the Atlas Lions was cheered with thunderous roars. Their supporters jeered and booed loudly each time their team was fouled.
“This is a huge win, not just for Morocco but all Arabs,” Mohammed Hisham, from Marrakesh, told Al Jazeera.
“All my friends from Tunisia or Lebanon or Qatar are behind us,” the 36-year-old, who lives in Doha, added.
“The World Cup being in the Middle East is already a major achievement – now this qualification, it’s remarkable.”
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.
The organization released the voting results on Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.
The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”
Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.
Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.
The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.
The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
