Moroccans qualified for a World Cup semifinal for the first time Saturday with a 1-0 win over Portugal.
Moroccan defense once again kept a clean sheet, with Youssef En-Nesyri scoring just minutes before halftime. Having drawn Croatia in the group stage and defeated Belgia, Spain, and now Portugal to advance to the semifinals, the Atlas Lions have become one of the stories of the tournament.

“We used to be supported just by Moroccans, but now Africans and Arabs are also showing interest in our team,” said manager Walid Regragui before the quarterfinal match, pointing out the electric atmosphere that has accompanied the team at every game this season.

A whole continent and region were inside Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday, cheering, drumming, and whistle-blowing as their team made history. Despite Ronaldo’s best efforts, Portugal couldn’t get past Morocco’s defense and walked down the tunnel in tears after being defeated. This is likely to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup.

Ronaldo scored the only goal in the last meeting between these two teams at the 2018 World Cup. For the second straight match, Ronaldo was benched. Despite Portugal’s dominant possession conceding just one goal in Qatar 2022, Morocco’s well-organized defense resisted Portugal’s attacks. Only two Portuguese attempts were made in the first 30 minutes – one was a powerful, accurate header that forced Yassine “Bono” Bounou into action, and the other was a shot that ricocheted wildly off two players but landed on top of the net.

In reality, Morocco got their breakthrough three minutes before halftime when Yahia Attiyat-Allah floated a perfect ball into the penalty area, which En-Nesyri jumped for a diving header above both goalkeepers Dias and Costa and went into the net far above them.

Morocco vs. Portugal Highlights Score

Moroccan footballers became the first African team to reach the World Cup’s semifinals, ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s dream of winning the tournament. Following Morocco’s late goal in the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo was introduced early in the second half. Portugal is desperately trying to break that run to ensure they don’t get knocked out by Morocco. Morocco hasn’t allowed an opposition player to score against them in this tournament; conceding their own goal is the only goal they have conceded.

Before he reached the touchline, Ronaldo was in tears, storming off the field. This is his last appearance in a Portugal shirt and at the World Cup. On the ground, the Moroccans dance; their families accompany some. They had a great tournament. Stay tuned for England vs. France, the second match of the day. Greetings!

Morocco becomes the first African team in their first World Cup semifinal appearance. The Portuguese are out. Multiple players were knocked out, including Ronaldo, Fernandes, Silva, Pepe, Neves, Dalot, and Ruben Neves, among others. This World Cup’s semifinalists are Morocco, the extraordinary team that still has not conceded a goal to an opponent. As Africa’s only representative in the 2010 World Cup, Ghana came close to breaking the glass ceiling. Morocco has now broken it, and they’ve done it in style.

It has been a tough go for the defending European champions Portugal, who lost on penalties after a 0-0 draw with the 2018 runners-up Croatia (0-0), FIFA World No.2 Belgium (2-0), and new boys Canada (2-1).
Pepe almost scores at the far post from a cross from the left, but he misses! Throughout his career, he has headed in so many of those.

Morocco vs. Portugal Head-To-Head Records At The World Cup 2022

As Morocco goes head-to-head with Portugal for a place in the final four at the Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday, they continue their incredible 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign. In last Tuesday’s round-of-16 match, the Selecao rebounded beautifully from their 2-1 defeat by South Korea in their group-stage finale to beat Switzerland 6-1 to resume their winning ways. A hat-trick from Goncalo Ramos ignited Fernando Santos’s men to a resounding win at the Lusail Stadium when Cristiano Ronaldo started from the bench.

Morocco made their first-ever quarterfinal appearance last Tuesday, as they defeated a starry Spain side in a penalty shootout after holding off the 2010 world champions. In the shootout, Bono made two saves as Sevilla’s Sevilla made a 3-0 loss to Luis Enrique’s men thanks to the cheeky penalty conversion of Spanish-born Achraf Hakimi.

After the unbeaten in Group F, Walid Regragui’s side topped the group standings ahead of Croatia, Belgium, and Canada, collecting seven points from two wins and one draw. One of the biggest reasons for the Atlas Lions’ success has been their defensive solidity. They had conceded just one goal in their four matches, which came on December 1 when Nayef Aguerd scored an own goal against Canada, the only nation outside of Europe and South America still playing in Qatar.

After finding the net in the previous two meetings between the nations, Portugal will fancy their chances of breaking down Morocco’s watertight defense on Saturday. There have only been two meetings between Morocco and Argentina in the FIFA World Cup. Abdelrazze Khairi scored two goals in the first half, and Abdelkarim Krimau scored a goal in the 61st minute to claim a 3-1 victory for Morocco. It was precisely 32 years later that Portugal returned the favor, defeating the North Africans in Group B with a slender 1-0 win at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium thanks to a Ronaldo winner in the opening five minutes.

Morocco vs. Portugal Final Score

Morocco vs. Portugal Goals:

42nd min — MAR — Youssouf En-Nesyri

List of Confirmed Line-ups:

Morocco lineup (4-3-3): 1. Bono (GK) — 2. Hakimi, 5. Aguerd, 6. Saiss (Dari, 58′), 25. Attiyah Allah — 8. Ounahi, 4. Amrabat, 15. Amallah (Benoun, 64′) — 7. Ziyech (Aboukhlal, 82′), 19. En-Nesyri (Cheddira, 64′), 17. Boufal (Jabrane, 82′)

Portugal lineup (4-3-3): 22. Costa (GK) — 2. Dalot, 3. Pepe, 4. Dias, 5. Guerreiro (Cancelo, 51′) — 25. Otavio (Vitinha, 69′), 18. Neves (Ronaldo, 51′), 10. Silva — 8. Fernandes, 26. Ramos (Leao, 69′), 11. Felix

Morocco vs. Portugal HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD