On Saturday, Morocco became the first African nation to reach the semifinals of a FIFA World Cup following their 1-0 defeat over Portugal in the quarterfinals of the 2022 edition in Qatar. Youssef En-Nesyri’s first half header was all the Atlas Lions needed to prevail with their impenetrable defense doing the rest to hold off a Portuguese attack that could not find their way through. Morocco advance to the final four where they will face the winner of Saturday’s later matchup between France and England next Wednesday.
Saturday’s quarterfinal resembled Morocco’s victory over Spain in the previous round with the African team happy to concede possession to the Portuguese and strike in transition moments. Portugal looked more likely to score in the opening half hour but João Félix was first denied by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou in the 4th minute before seeing his deflected effort go just wide in the 31st.
Morocco gained confidence over the course of the first half and took advantage of a strong finish to stun the favorites. Wydad AC left back Yahia Attiyat Allah crossed to find Selim Amallah for an open shot that was missed from eight yards out but the opportunity served as a warning for the opening goal in the 42nd minute. Another cross from Attiyat Allah saw Portugal keeper Diogo Costa attempt to play the ball but En-Nesyri leaped up higher than Costa and center back Rúben Dias, towering above to bounce his header into the roof of the net and send the Al Thumama Stadium crowd into delirium.
Portugal playmaker Bruno Fernandes nearly equalized two minutes later with a hopeful effort that rattled Bounou’s crossbar but that was only the beginning of Portugal’s frustrations for the rest of the match. Cristiano Ronaldo was brought on soon after halftime but it did little to unlock the Moroccan defense, which performed admirably even when captain Romain Saïss was forced off due to injury close to the hour mark.
Ronaldo and fellow striker Gonçalo Ramos were shut down by the Atlas Lions, who shifted to a five-man defensive line following the injury to Saïss. Fernandes had a good opportunity to level for Portugal when he received a pass from Bernardo Silva with room to shoot in the 64th minute, but he fired just over the frame of the goal. Felix and Ronaldo both had looks in the final minutes but Bounou continued his excellent tournament form and foiled both attempts before Portugal center back Pepe sent an open header wide in the final seconds of added time. Pepe’s miss was the cue for the highly pro-Moroccan crowd to celebrate their team making history as referee Facundo Tello’s full time whistle confirmed the unthinkable.
Highlights are in the link below.
