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Thousands take to Paris streets to celebrate Morocco World Cup win over Spain, as Portugal hammer Switzerland 6-1

Thousands take to Paris streets to celebrate Morocco World Cup win over Spain, as Portugal hammer Switzerland 6-1
Huge crowds were clogging up the Champs Elysees, letting off fireworks and waving flares along with their country's flag
1 min read
06 December, 2022
Morocco fans father in Paris to celebrate their country's win in Qatar (AFP/Getty)

Thousands of Morocco fans took to the streets of Paris on Tuesday, waving flags, cheering and dancing in the cold, to celebrate their team's surprise World Cup victory over Spain. 

Huge crowds were clogging up the Champs Elysees, letting off fireworks and waving flares along with their country's flag.

Paris is home to a large Moroccan migrant community - France's second-largest after Algeria.

Honking Morocco fans caused a major traffic jam on the Quai motorway that runs alongside the River Seine, with many fans leaning out of car windows.

Fans also gathered in other French cities, including Nice, rejoicing at the largely unexpected win over highly fancied Spain.

Arabs from Baghdad to Tunis cheered as Morocco became the first Arabic-speaking country to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar, the first to be held in an Arab country.

Earlier, Portugal thrashed Switzerland 6-1 on Tuesday to storm into the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 2006.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos took the brave call to bench Cristiano Ronaldo and was rewarded with an artful display from his side as they set up a last-eight clash with Morocco, who stunned Spain in a penalty shootout earlier on Tuesday.

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