"It's a beautiful story. It's hard for Morocco's opponents to lose, but soccer leaves us with beautiful stories that we should appreciate," Ronaldo stressed in an interview with the Spanish sports daily AS, published Monday, praising the fighting spirit and courage of Walid Regragui's men.

"Morocco is the surprise of the World Cup. The Atlas Lions defend so well. They surprised Spain and Portugal," said the 1994 World Champion and president of the Spanish club Real Valladolid, where the Moroccan international Jawad El Yamiq plays.

Ronaldo does not hide his wish to see the Atlas Lions continue the adventure. "I would love Morocco to win, but the match against France, the defending champion, will not be easy," said one of the best strikers in the history of soccer.

Likewise, the president of Real Valladolid said he was "happy" with the performance of Jawaq El Yamiq. "He is doing very well. We are delighted with his performance," he said.

Morocco qualified for the semi-finals of the World Cup (Qatar-2022), beating Portugal by 1 goal to 0, Saturday at the al-Thumama stadium. The winning goal of the Atlas Lions was scored by Youssef En-Nesyri in the 42nd minute.

The Moroccan national team will face France on Wednesday in the semifinal.