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Moroccans around the world celebrated Tuesday as the country’s men’s national soccer team triumphed over Spain in a high-stakes World Cup match.
The North African country beat its heavily-favored European neighbor in a penalty shootout following 120 minutes of scoreless action.
Fans in Massachusetts took to the streets to celebrate, coalescing around a stretch of Route 1A near Revere Beach.
Footage taken by WCVB showed a crowd waving the red flag of Morocco as fans stood on top of cars and celebrated the stunning upset.
Dozens of jubilant Morocco fans flooded the chilly shoreline of Revere Beach on Tuesday after their team upset Spain in the World Cup. pic.twitter.com/aqRgp8ZSZu
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) December 6, 2022
The crowd forced police to close the area to traffic for about an hour on Tuesday afternoon. The Massachusetts State Police said on Twitter at 3 p.m. that the area of Route 1A near Wonderland Marketplace was closed due to a “large crowd in the roadway.”
The road opened back up at 4 p.m., State Police spokesman James D. DeAngelis confirmed. No arrests were made.
Revere has a notable Moroccan community, which accounts for about 10% of the city’s total population. For six years, Revere has hosted a Moroccan Festival to highlight the culture and history of the city’s Moroccan community.
This is the first time that Morocco will play in a World Cup quarterfinal, and it is the first Arab nation to make it this far in the tournament, according to ESPN.
The “Atlas Lions” will play Portugal on Saturday, when they are expected to be underdogs once again.
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