Morocco’s remarkable World Cup campaign continued with another shock result as they defeated Portugal 1-0 to advance to the semi-finals against either France or England..
Portugal started the brighter of the two teams and nearly opened the scoring in the sixth minute, but Yassine Bounou saved Joao Felix’s close-range header. Morocco, on the other hand, grew into the game and deservedly took the lead on the stroke of half-time thanks to Youssef En-Nesyri.
The Sevilla forward headed home Yahya Attiat-cross Allah’s to give the North Africans a slim lead going into the break. Portugal pushed for a leveller, and came close again through Bruno Fernandes and Felix, but couldn’t get past Bounou..
Morocco defended tenaciously throughout, and despite Walid Ceddira’s dismissal in extra time, Morocco held on to claim another historic victory as Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest World Cup adventure came to an end. Here are five points to consider from the Al Thumana Stadium.
Morocco and En-Nesyri make history.
It was a memorable evening for Sevilla’s En-Nesyri, who became the first Moroccan to score in a World Cup quarter-final – and what a crucial strike it was. In a tense first half, the North Africans took the lead in the 41st minute thanks to En-second Nesyri’s goal of the tournament..
The 25-year-old finished off a superb team move by getting there ahead of Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa and heading the ball into the back of the net. It was a goal that elicited ecstasy from the crowds of Moroccan fans inside the stadium, and their supporters would be in ecstasy after the final whistle.
No African team had previously qualified for the World Cup’s last four, but Morocco defied the odds once more. Portugal were heavy favorites going into the game, but it didn’t matter because Walid Regragui won.
Portugal fails to deliver yet again at a World Cup.
Portugal has a dismal record in World Cups, and despite all of the hype leading up to this tournament, Fernando Santos’ men were unable to win.
The Selecao has never won the tournament, only reaching the semi-finals twice, but they had a fantastic opportunity to do so in Qatar.
Santos’ men were expected to beat Morocco and advance to the semi-finals, but they lacked the guile and composure to score in the final third. Bruno Fernandes had a bad day, and their other attacking assets, such as Felix and Goncalo Ramos, struggled as they crashed out.
Ronaldo’s underwhelming cameo
Cristiano Ronaldo, unsurprisingly, grabbed the headlines following Portugal’s 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland on Tuesday. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was rested for the match, and his replacement, Goncalo Ramos, scored a hat-trick to help his team advance to the next round..
Despite being benched for the match against Morocco, Ronaldo was called upon in the 50th minute, with Santos’ side relying on his talisman to perform on the field. However, Ronaldo failed to make the impact his manager hoped for, as he struggled throughout his time on the field.
Ronaldo had a late chance to equalize after being played through on goal, but Bounou saved his effort well.
Bono is an inspiration.
Morocco’s solid back-four has received a lot of attention during the World Cup, but their goalkeeper, Bounou, has gone unnoticed despite another excellent performance.
The 31-year-old was in fantastic form to keep a clean sheet against Spain and did it again in their win over Portugal.
Bounou was called into action for the first time in the sixth minute, when Felix’s header was heading toward goal, but the keeper made an incredible save, beating the ball behind for a corner. On 83 minutes, he made another smart save to deny Felix as his rasping effort was flying into the top corner, but Bounou stuck his right hand out to tip it over the bar.
Bounou was commanding in the air and claimed every cross he came for, including one in the first half when he was clattered as Bruno Fernandes tried to get a shot off..
He was also composed in possession, and when Portugal pressed him, he didn’t panic and passed the ball out of the back when necessary.
Fans without tickets
Hundreds of ticketless fans attempted to enter the Al Thumama Stadium before kickoff.
As the game began, there were thousands of empty seats around the stadium, as fans with tickets were allegedly prevented from entering by those without a seat. Morocco has reached the World Cup’s last eight for the first time after defeating Spain on penalties in the previous round..There were supporters attempting to enter the stadium without a ticket for the final eight match. “There are hundreds of ticketless fans trying to get into the stadium right now,” ITV reporter Angus Scott said via presenter Seema Jaswal, “which means that people with tickets are struggling to get in.”
Around the 15-20 minute mark, many Moroccan fans with tickets who had been unable to enter in time for kick-off were finally able to fill the stadium..
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