Morocco beats Canada to book a place in the World Cup quarter-finals

There was an eruption of joy at a stadium in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, on Saturday as the national team beat Canada 3-0 to book a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.

Tens of thousands of people watched the game, which took place in Houston in the United States, on a huge screen at the venue.

The Atlas Lions had a tough first half, but once the team settled they firmly took control of the game.

Two goals by Azzedine Ounahi and a late strike by Soufiane Rahimi made them the first African nation to reach the quarter-finals more than once.

Fans leaving the stadium showed joy with their team the first to qualify for the Round of 16.

"We're thrilled that we won the match, and we'll beat France too. The World Cup will be ours," said fan Mustapha Bouhia.

Fellow Morocco supporter, Abdellah Bensouda, said it had been a fantastic game.

"Despite some nervous moments at the beginning, God bless our national team. This is only the beginning, there's still a long way to go," he said.

Morocco will now face France in the quarter-finals, but with Les Bleus the favourites to win the World Cup, the Atlas Lions have a tough game ahead of them in Boston next Thursday.