Moroccan fans going wild in London

After Morocco defeated Spain on penalties, Edgware Road was lit with flamethrows and a huge celebration was held as a North African team reached the quarter-finals for the first time in history.

A video posted on social media shows overjoyed supporters pouring into a busy West London street covered in Moroccan flags. Some honked car horns, others danced with red flares, the color of the national flag.

Fans also flocked to Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street in central London.

In Morocco, a large crowd of supporters gathered in the capital city of Rabat to film the lighting flares. Other footage shows fans dancing and chanting in bars wearing Moroccan flags.

In Spain, Moroccan fans were seen chanting at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and Barcelona’s Las Ramblas.

Madrid-born Achraf Hakimi sent Morocco to the quarter-finals with a bold Panenka penalty after 120 minutes of tense and silly football. They will face either Switzerland vs. Portugal on Tuesday night at Lusail He Iconic Stadium in Qatar.

Morocco became the fourth African country to reach the last eight of the tournament, 12 years after Ghana did in South Africa.

“We fought and made the Moroccan people happy. We made history and Morocco deserved it. The Moroccan people united us on the pitch,” said Walid Legraghi. The director told Bein Sports

Riot police and mounted police were deployed in the chaotic scene outside the Education City stadium before Tuesday’s game.

There was a heated debate between some Morocco fans and security forces about whether they could move through the perimeter gates and towards the spectator entrance.

Some showed cell phones and what appeared to be passports, but were refused.

When Morocco beat Spain, there was a rousing celebration outside the field, with some fans saying ‘goodbye, goodbye España’ as they walked away.