Düsseldorf/Dortmund/Essen (dpa/lnw) - After the surprise victory of the Moroccan team in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar, numerous fans in several cities in North Rhine-Westphalia celebrated, some of them boisterously. A huge crowd had gathered in downtown Düsseldorf. Firecrackers and bengalos were lit, smoke lay over the area inhabited by many North Africans. A dpa photographer estimated more than 2,000 fans celebrating the Moroccan team's 1-0 victory over Portugal. Numerous police officers were on duty.

Things were quieter in Dortmund and Essen. According to a police spokesman, around 300 football fans celebrated in downtown Essen. "Pyrotechnics were also ignited, but overall everything remained peaceful," said the spokesman in the evening. In Dortmund, a car parade pulled through the city with a honk of horns. Bengalos and firecrackers were lit and Moroccan flags waved.