North Sports

  Former Italian striker Salvatore "Toto" Schillaci, famous as the top scorer of the 1990 World Cup, died on Wednesday at the age of 59. Juventus are among the Italian football clubs who have paid tribute to Schillaci, who became an icon for his surprise goals during the World Cup at home in his country, saying only "Ciao Toto" on social media media with a photo of him wearing a Juve shirt. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has announced that all matches played in Italy between now and the end of next weekend will benefit from a "minute of reflection" before kick-off."His goal celebrations, in which his face became a symbol of collective joy, will forever remain an integral part of Italian football's heritage,"  FIGC president Gabriele Gravina said in a statement.Toto Schillaci played for Juventus and Inter after starting his career in the early 1980s in Messina and enjoyed modest success at club level.His best club season came just bef...

  Following the Moroccan national team's impressive showing in the FIFA 2022 World Cup, US President Joe Biden has added his name to a growing list of admirers who have expressed their public admiration for them. In a tweet posted on Wednesday, Biden thanked Morocco's head of government, Aziz Akhannouch, for inviting him to witness the semifinal match between Morocco and France. This week, Akhannouch traveled to Washington to attend the US-Africa conference. Regardless of your allegiance, Biden said, "It was amazing to observe what this squad, Morocco, has been able to accomplish." The tweet also included a picture of Akhannouch and Biden enjoying the game alongside other African leaders, including Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. Over the course of the international tournament, the US has been among those who have admired Morocco's Atlas Lions. Every time Morocco competed in a World Cup match, the US embassy in Rabat prepared to support the Atlas Lions. Follo...

Roman Saiss, the team captain, is a question mark for Moroccan coach Walid Regragui ahead of Wednesday's semifinal match against France. The Atlas Lions defeated Portugal 1-0 on Saturday, with the Moroccan captain being carried off the field on a stretcher 13 minutes into the game. Thirteen minutes into The Atlas Lions' 1-0 victory over Portugal on Saturday, the Moroccan captain was being carried off the field on a stretcher while sobbing. Nayef Akrad and Nawsir Mazrawi, however, might be permitted to join the squad for the match against France. Due to injuries, the two players were unable to compete against Portugal in the quarterfinals. According to a source in the squad's camp, "Mazrawi trained in accordance with the precautionary measures that he got from the technical and medical personnel of the Lions team, for fear of aggravating his health and re-injuring." Morocco became the first nation from Africa to get to the World Cup semifinals. When the Atlas Lions...

  Obviously, Peter Drury has taken over as the voice of English football commentary. When Morocco defeated Portugal to become the first nation from the continent to get to the semifinals of a FIFA World Cup, he was at his most poetic. Peter Drury is currently just displaying when he stands in front of the microphone. The prominent English analyst waxed poetic in his description of Morocco's triumph over Portugal, establishing the Atlas Lions as the first country from Africa to advance to the FIFA World Cup semifinals. "IT IS A MOROCCAN MARVEL! THE ATLAS LIONS ARE NOW JUST ONE MORE PROWLING STEP FROM THE WORLD CUP FINAL ITSELF!    "THE ARAB WORLD UNITES! THE AFRICAN CONTINENT BELIEVES! ITS STANDARD BEARER CONTINUES TO CONJURE WITH THE BARELY BELIEVABLE! "FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD CUP THERE WILL BE AN AFRICAN NATION IN THE SEMIFINALS! AND PORTUGAL ARE OUT, AND CRISTIANO RONALDO IS OUT!"            #FIFAWORLDCUP On Wednesday...

  Samuel Eto'o , the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, congratulated Morocco on being the fourth African nation to advance to the World Cup quarterfinals. After defeating Spain in a penalty shootout on Tuesday, the Atlas Lions shocked the 2010 champions to advance to the round of eight. Yassine Bounou, the goalkeeper for Morocco, made two saves from kicks, and Achraf Hakimi added the cherry on top with a well executed penalty kick. Eto'o, who predicted a Morocco vs. Cameroon final, lauded the North Africans on social media. "History is made. The fourth African team to ever make it to the quarter finals. Bravo Morocco," wrote Eto'o on Twitter .  Only Morocco and three other African nations—Cameroon, Senegal, and Ghana—have advanced to the World Cup's round of eight. Portugal, which defeated Switzerland 6-1, will now play the former African champions in the quarterfinal. Even though Cameroon defeated Brazil and drew with Serbia, they were elimina...