As a young boy staying in Antwerp, Ilias Chair had dreamt of playing in a World Cup semi-final. Now 25, Chair will be living his dream at the Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday when Morocco face France.

It’s not just about Chair. The entire Morocco squad, the nation, the African continent will have their dreamcome-true moment when the national anthem is played at the stadium. For the first time, an African side has made it to the semi-finals and it’s one big party for the continent.

“I’m in the semi-final of the World Cup. I had dreamt of it as a little boy. What we’ve achieved here is something historic. It’s a dream come true and I hope it doesn’t end here,” Chair said.

Chair is one of the 14 players in the 26-man squad who are born in European countries. The likes of Achraf Hakimi, Hakim Ziyech, Yassine Bounou are the diaspora players who have shone for Morocco in Doha. Coach Walid Regragui and players such as Romain Saiss and Sofiane Boufal were born in France.

Initially met with scepticism after Regragui showed his faith in the players who were born outside Morocco, the same footballers are now being hailed as heroes. So when Bounou, Bono to many, walked into the ground 45 minutes after the Portugal victory to have a playing session with his son, the waiting crowd behind the goal was cheering him on. “Bono, Bono,” they chanted. And the goalkeeper, who plays for La Liga club Sevilla, was soaking in everything.

“I don’t think we should put players in different categories. When you play for the national team, you’re a Moroccan. I am against any sort of quotas. I brought them in because they could bring something in for the team. We have players who can play in Europe. In the national team, you have to build that spirit,” Regragui said on Tuesday.

It was probably the 100th time he was asked about the diaspora players. “It’s okay. I am here to answer every question.”

Regragui has also allowed families to stay with the team and that’s being seen as a masterstroke in building bonhomie among the players. So here we have Boufal dancing with his mother on the sidelines after the Portugal match or Hakimi, 24, kissing his mother in the stands after the win over Belgium. “My mother is my biggest strength,” Boufal, 29, who plays for French side Angers, had said after the win over Portugal.

“My parents and wife have come. They have given us great strength and we need to use that strength tomorrow,” Chair emphasised. “We thought about this, to bring family members. It has helped us to build team spirit,” was Regragui’s take.

Morocco play a very compact game, water-tight at the back and then catch the rivals on the wrong foot in counter-attacks. Some scoff at it as a defensive style but this is paying off well for them. But unlike Greece in Euro 2004, Morocco are not dull and boring to watch. They are exciting on the break as teams like Croatia, Belgium, Canada, Spain and Portugal learnt it the hard way. For example, against Portugal, Yahia Attiyat Allah broke free on the left and sent in a cross. Youssef En-Nesyri leapt high to beat goalkeeper Diogo Costa and his marker Ruben Dias and headed it home. It happened ina flash, and Portugal did not know what had hit them.

“We play to our strengths. If we have possession, we will work with it, Europeans don’t like us because we don’t play like they want us to,” Regragui said.

The Morocco coach added: “Those days are over when African teams were playing with gusto. We want to win. There isn’t just one way of playing. We had no chance of winning the World Cup at the outset but we are going to destroy those statistics tomorrow.”

There is an interesting bit of statistics. The only player to beat goalkeeper Bounou so far is Nayef Aguerd, his teammate. That was against Canada in the 2-1 win which helped Morocco to top their group. Aguerd, who missed the quarter-final clash, is doubtful for the France match, but the good news is Noussair Mazraoui has been declared fit. “Bounou is a decisive player for them,” Hugo Lloris, the France goalkeeper and captain, said about the Moroccan shot-stopper.

One of the interesting match-ups on Wednesday will be Kylian Mbappe versus Hakimi. They play together for Paris Saint-Germain but on Wednesday, Hakimi will not yield an inch to the 23-year-old.

Hakimi learnt his game in Spain, idolises Sergio Ramos — he thinks he is the best defender in the world — and celebrated like the former Real Madrid and now PSG player after converting the penalty that threw out Spain in the last-16 match. Hakimi is in rousing form in this World Cup but Mbappe presents a different challenge altogether. Mbappe was not in his element against England and would like to make amends against the Moroccans.

“It’s true that they’ve been very strong in their defence and none of their opponents has been able to breach it. They’ve defended better than anyone else, they’re organised, they keep their shape very well and they have very good attackers when they break,” France coach Didier Deschamps said of Morocco.

It’s not just Mbappe that Morocco will have to deal with. Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele could create havoc if they find their rhythm. Later in the day, the French camp was fretting over the fitness of centre-back Dayot Upamecano and midfielder Adrien Rabiot. Upamecano had a sore throat, but there wasn’t much clarity on the nature of Rabiot’s illness.

“They are the best team in the world and Deschamps is the best coach in the world. But we are not here just to participate. We will give our all,” Regragui said.

The coach’s message was loud and clear. “Sir sir,” is something Regragui says to his players and the fans chant. It means “go go”. Morocco will seek to move forward.