Morocco want to make World Cup history on Saturday when they meet Portugal in the quarter-finals, saying they are not satisfied despite breaking new ground for Arab football and equalling the best achievement by an African team.

The North Africans’ coach, Walid Regragui, said they would start as underdogs against Portugal but had proved they were genuine challengers in Qatar and were hungry for more success.

“We have already achieved great things but we feel it’s not enough, we want to go further,” Regragui told a news conference on Friday.

“We’ve already proven all the data analysts wrong about Belgium’s chance and Spain too. They all thought we’d lose to them.”

Morocco finished top of their first-round group after drawing with Croatia and beating Belgium and Canada, before edging Spain on penalties in the last 16.

But it has come at a cost with key defender Nayef Aguerd a doubt for Saturday’s game after a hamstring injury and other key players, like skipper Romain Saiss and midfield workhorse Sofyan Amrabat, also carrying injuries.

“We’re not going to hide it, we’re tired... But we won’t be looking for excuses, we are here on a mission,” said the coach, who was only handed the job three months before the World Cup.

The coach also felt the support at the stadium would again be key. “The energy is fantastic. People are identifying with us. It has been great to see our people happy, but for us the important thing remains a chance to write history,” Regragui said.