Safa congratulates Bafana Bafana's group rivals Morocco on making World Cup history

• Morocco became the first African team to reach the last four
• The Atlas Lions will now face off with world champions France
• Bafana Bafana are scheduled to face the Atlas Lions next year

WHAT HAPPENED? The Atlas Lions caused an upset when they claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in Saturday's quarter-final encounter at Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar's capital city, Doha.
Youssef En-Nesyri's towering header in the first half earned the 1976 African champions the win and they progressed to the semi-finals of the most prestigious football tournament in the world.
Safa has since issued a statement congratulating Morocco on becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

WHAT DID JORDAAN SAY?: “Congratulations to Morocco. A first for Africa, first team in the semi-finals of a World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1930,” Jordaan said in a statement.

“Africa waited for 92 years. Absolutely wonderful. A wonderful achievement for the Confederation of African Football under the leadership of our President Dr Patrice Motsepe. This is Africa’s best performance at a Fifa World Cup.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Morocco came into the game against Portugal having become the fourth African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals after Senegal, Cameroon and Ghana.
The Atlas Lions will now take on defending champions France in a semi-final encounter on Wednesday with a spot in the final at stake.
The North African giants are in the same 2023 Afcon qualifying group (Group K) as Bafana Bafana and the two teams are scheduled to meet in June next year.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR MOROCCO?: The Atlas Lions are set to face off with France at Al Bayt Stadium in the Qatari city of Al Khor.
Morocco will be hoping to defeat the two-time World champions for the first time. The Blues have recorded five wins and two draws against them in the past.