Hadji Badr would proudly tell his son Mohammed Badr the stories of heroes when he grows up. He would tell the stories of Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi and Hakim Ziyech whom he rooted for, straining his vocal chords at the Education City Stadium in Doha, on Tuesday.

Hadji, the Moroccan, who lives in Doha for the last 15 years, was witness to an evening of history-making feat as Morocco sent Spain home, ousting them 3-0 on penalties in a World Cup last 16 game.

His son Mohammed was also there but being just two months old he was oblivious to the enormity of the situation. “He is probably the youngest Moroccan at the stadium. He is not aware of what he saw. I will tell him about this day when he grows up,” father Hadji said on the Metro that takes you from the Education City Stadium to Msheireb, downtown in Doha. Mohammed was deep in sleep in his makeshift bed on the perambulator.

Mohammed’s elder sister Khansa, named after the poet considered to be the finest author of Arabic elegies, is just four. She too seemed to have no idea about Morocco’s achievements. She was wearing a Hakimi shirt, jumping on the seat showing numeric skills to her uncle.

Down the rake, a group of Moroccan fans were dancing and singing. There was a Saudi in that group who rooted for the north African team. “They have made the Arab world proud.”

Morocco are the only African team left in the competition following the exits of Ghana, Cameroon, Tunisia and Senegal.

The fans have come here in droves. Their whistles and the claps are so intimidating that even the seasoned campaigners get nervous. The Belgians learnt it the hard way during their 0-2 loss in the group phase. And on Tuesday, during the tiebreak, they psyched out Pablo Sarabia, Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets by raising the decibel level.

“Fans are the driving force behind us. I want to thank the fans who helped us in this task,” star Morocco goalkeeper Bounou said at the post-match news conference. “Yes, they are the ones who keep us going. We are having great support,” coach Walid Regragui agreed with the Sevilla goalkeeper.

At the Souq Waqif, the main market place, the Moroccans were partying as if there were no tomorrow. A woman with a Palestinian scarf and draped in the Moroccan flag was soaking in the mood. “Very happy,” she said in broken English.

As you made your way through the crowd, one old lady stood with her son and daughter-in-law.

Zahara, probably in her 60s, had come from Casablanca to watch Tuesday’s match. She had a recent knee replacement and needed a stick to stand. But that did not deter her from celebrating the momentous occasion.

The Moroccans are also getting liberal help from Qatar. Media reports from the Moroccan capital Rabat claimed that Qatar’s Emir Tamim Ben Hamad al-Thani had offered the fans free tickets to the Spain game.

“There will be a huge rush for the match against Portugal,” a fan said, while fidgeting with his mobile phone. He was checking Instagram how fans back home were celebrating.