The parallels are impossible to ignore. A nation without much by way of footballing success on the global stage standing tall against a faded empire and former coloniser to advance through to the latter stages of the World Cup to the surprise and delight of much of the world.
What was Ireland in Italia 90 is Morocco in Qatar 2022 and then some.
Unlike the Irish story, which ended with such brutal finality at the quarter final stage more than 30 years ago when Toto Schillaci put the boot in, the hopes and dreams of the Moroccan people and the team they all support are very much alive.
And while Ireland only took on one fading empire that once flexed its colonising muscles across the world, Morocco has already seen off three, after beating Belgium, Spain and Portugal in the group stages, last 16 and quarter-final respectively.
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Now only another former colonising force – France – stands in the way of what would have been, just two weeks ago, an unimaginable appearance in a World Cup final next Sunday.
There wasn’t a sinner in Marrakesh on the day after the night before, at least not until a smiling man in chef’s whites climbed the stairs from the basement of the Capel Street restaurant that carries the name of the famous Moroccan city.
“Of course, of course, of course,” Aziz Khrouch, the head chef at the restaurant, says when asked if he was watching the match against Portugal that saw Morocco triumph 1-0. He was also on the edge of his seat when Spain were put to the sword in a penalty shoot-out last Tuesday and will be similarly tense when his team plays France on Wednesday.
“I think the people of Morocco all believe in this team,” he said. “We are going to beat France. We have conceded only one goal in this whole tournament. We have by far the best defence. They have [Kylian] Mbappé but we have [Achraf] Hakimi,” he continued, making reference to two of the stars of the World Cup who both play for Paris Saint-Germain.
“It is time to show the French what we can do,” he said. ‘We have a long history with them. It is a bit like Ireland versus England. We have something to show them and we know that the whole world will be behind us.”
He said he had been delighted to see pundits on Irish television and elsewhere and various non-Moroccan fans wearing Fezes in recent days.
“I love to see it,” he said. “It’s a fine way to show support. It is kind of like wearing green and shamrocks if you’re cheering for Ireland.”
Mr Khrouch, from the town of Merzouga in the Sahara desert, has been in Ireland for many years but his heart has been closer to his home country in recent days.
“Everyone at home is watching the World Cup and talking about it,” he says as he shows me his various social media platforms, which are awash with scenes from the previous night.
“Now we have women and grandmothers and children and men all watching the team together and we know that we have one of the best teams in the world without a doubt. Last night there was no one sleeping in all of Morocco. It was a bit like Ireland in Italia 90, except in Morocco nobody was drinking alcohol. We have a different way of partying.”
Dino Noureddine was hoarse on Sunday afternoon. He sounded like a man who had spent hours roaring at a television.
The general manager of Dada on South William St in Dublin 2 had done just that, as had all the Moroccan staff in the restaurant and, indeed, many of the staff from other countries too.
He says the restaurant organised the roster on Saturday to allow all the Moroccan staff to watch the game.
“It was very exciting. When the match was over, we had all of these Irish people who were passing the restaurant and they were coming in and they were saying ‘Go Morocco, Go Morocco, Go Morocco’. They were celebrating just like we were.”
As to what might happen on Wednesday, Noureddine is cautiously optimistic. He says his heart tells him that Morocco will win but his brain is not so sure.
“France are very physical, they are very talented and they have players playing with all of the top clubs around Europe, but anything can happen, it’s football.”
He recalls watching Ireland play Spain in 2002 when Mick McCarthy’s team were cruelly knocked out on a penalty shoot-out.
“I was heartbroken when that happened. We really appreciate that Irish people are on our side, just like we would be on Ireland’s side if the positions were reversed.”
