The World Cup quarterfinals feature six nations who have at least reached a final, a recent European champion—and Morocco. How did the Atlas Lions do it?
Everybody always tries to read too much into major tournaments. A lucky penalty here, a brilliant save there, and suddenly the whole narrative changes. Back in 1982, when Algeria beat West Germany, Chile and Honduras battled hard and Cameroon went home undefeated, there was much breathless chatter about the dawning of a brave new world for football—and perhaps then, it was. For the first time, there was a recognition in Europe and South America that maybe the rest of the world knew how to play.