Arab world rejoices as Morocco reach World Cup quarter-finals

Moroccans wildly celebrating their team's historic World Cup knockout victory over Spain on Tuesday were joined by people across the Middle East and North Africa ecstatic at what they saw as a victory for the entire Arab world.

From Baghdad to Casablanca, fans cheered as Morocco became the first Arabic-speaking country to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar, the first held in an Arab country. They won 3-0 on penalties after a 0-0 draw following extra time.

In Rabat, where fans had crowded cafes for hours beforehand to watch the game, people jammed downtown roads leading to a square where fans had partied after previous Morocco victories, flags waving from their windows and horns furiously sounding.

"It's the first time I had this feeling!" said Fahd Belbachir, on his way to the city centre. "We're so proud."

Leaders from across the Arab world showered praise on the Moroccan side.

"Congratulations to the Atlas lions, you delighted us. Wow Morocco, you did it again!", Queen Rania of Jordan wrote on Twitter.

In Rabat, Brahim Ait Belkhit said the spontaneous mood of joy was so great that he had patched up a feud with somebody he had avoided for years and then saw in the street. "It made us forget our old quarrel," he said.

Cheers also went up in Cairo, Beirut, Tunis, Amman, Ramallah as Arabs rejoiced at the largely unexpected win over highly fancied Spain.

It echoed the pan-Arab pride that has surfaced during several memorable performances by Arab sides at the Qatar World Cup - a contrast to the political disputes that have long divided Arab states.

Outside the stadium in Doha, where Moroccan fans had appeared to vastly outnumber Spaniards with more than 44,000 people attending, women raised their voices in ululation