The Trellick Lounge that sits at the bottom of the the famous tower block that bears the same name on Golborne Road is usually a calm place where the local Moroccan community stroll in on an evening to sip mint tea, play Parchis (a Spanish board game which is still popular in northern Morocco) and talk about their day.
But for the past few weeks this small cafe, a short walk from Ladbroke Grove station in London, has turned into the venue for the local community to gather in masses and support the Atlas Lions. On Wednesday night they gathered again in their hundreds to roar on the team who have allowed them to dream.
An hour before kick off every chair that the owner Abdeslam Aarab could find was taken and there was only room for standing indoors, where the walls were covered with Moroccan flags. In the streets the latecomers huddled together, trying their best to catch a glimpse of the screens scattered inside. Despite the temperatures, they came hoping to experience yet more joy after Saturday’s win against Portugal.
We may have been 1400 miles from Marrakesh and 3000 miles from Doha but this felt like we were in the heart of Casablanca. The semi-final was live on BBC but it was the Arabic commentary from BEIN Sports that echoed out of the TV screens inside combined with the constant shouts of ‘Seer’. Asked what it meant, one of the locals explained that it was their version of ‘Allez’.
Before the anthems had even played, the shot of their captain Achraf Hakimi embracing his PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe was met with deafening cheers. The standard had been set before a ball was even kicked. They stood and bellowed their national anthem and though France scored early, that was never going to dampen the spirits. This was a World Cup semi-final.
Still they prayed. Still they hoped. Every block celebrated with a cheer. Every tackle celebrated like a goal. Every misplaced pass met with groans. Every missed chance met with despair. They weren’t just watching it. They were living it. On the brink of half time, Jawad El Yamiq’s overhead kick that hit the post nearly gave them their moment. They may have trailed but boy did they believe.
‘It doesn’t cost you anything to have dreams,’ Walid Regragui, the Moroccan coach had said earlier in the week. For 35 minutes in the second half, they dreamt before reality struck with a second goal for France.
Silence was followed by a crescendo of applause for their heroes. In the end those dreams of a World Cup final did not come true but by then history had already been made.
Regardless of what happens on Sunday between two giants of international football, what Morocco have done over the past month will live long in the memory of all.