Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has praised Morocco after they kept their World Cup hopes alive with a thrilling victory over the Netherlands.
The Atlas Lions roared back from a goal down to grab a last-ditch equaliser to force extra time, before prevailing 3-2 in a tense shoot-out. The win secured Morocco's place in the last 16 of the tournament, as they set their sights on making another history-making run at the finals.
Morocco became the first Arab side in history to reach the World Cup semi-finals during a stunning performance in Qatar in 2022, in which they defeated European heavyweights Spain and Portugal along the way.
They next face one of the World Cup hosts Canada on July 4 with an opportunity to secure a place in the last eight of this year's competition.
"Congratulations to the Atlas Lions. A fighting spirit and a display of Arab brilliance on the world stage. Our joy today is Moroccan," Sheikh Mohammed said in a post on X.
Egypt and Algeria are aiming to make it a memorable hat-trick for Arab teams when they go for glory in their last 32 matches on Friday.
Egypt take on Australia, while Algeria will line up against Switzerland, with a place in the last 16 of the competition up for grabs.
The Egyptian team - led by talismanic forward Mohamed Salah - have already broken new ground after qualifying for the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time.
For Algeria, it is the second time they have advanced from the group stages, having previously achieved the footballing feat in 2014.
They lost out to eventual winners Germany on that occasion and will face a tough task against a seasoned Switzerland outfit.
