Morocco became the first African side to reach a World Cup semi-final on Saturday, when the Atlas Lions defeated Portugal 1-0 at Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar.
Walid Regragui’s squad defeated Spain on penalties in the last 16, but this was even more stunning and significant since Morocco insured that they will go where no other African nation has gone before.
Youssef En-Nesyri had the honor of scoring what would go down as one of the most crucial goals in African football history with a header shortly before halftime.
For much of the second half, Portugal heaped on the pressure, inserting the once-again benched Cristiano Ronaldo, but their efforts fell short, much to the joy of the Moroccan-dominated audience.
Fernando Santos’ team dominated early on, but clear chances were few and far between.
Morocco looked threatening on the break, and the game picked up around the half-hour mark, with Selim Amallah blazing over from Romain Saiss’ cut-back and Sofiane Boufal shooting at Diogo Costa from 25 yards.
As a result, when En-Nesyri towered over Costa to head in Yahya Attiat-cross Allah’s after 42 minutes, the Atlas Lions were well worth the lead.
Portugal waited for a reaction.
Bruno Fernandes’ dipping right-wing shot hit the crossbar, and he was denied a penalty after claiming to have been dragged back in the box.
Ronaldo’s entrance, shortly before Azzedine Ounahi squandered a good chance, essentially signaled the end of Portugal’s dominance.
But Portugal generated nothing until late Yassine Bounou saves from Joao Felix and Ronaldo, as Morocco hung on for another historic victory despite replacement Walid Cheddira’s departure for a second booking.
Ounahi is like a breath of fresh air.
For obvious reasons, En-Nesyri will get the attention, but Ounahi needs to be recognized as well. The kid was entertaining to watch.
On the ball, he was typically excellent, completing all three of his dribbling attempts and matching one of his teammates’ two critical passes. The 22-year-old delivered a mature performance.
Ramos is demoted from hero to zero.
After devastating Switzerland after replacing Ronaldo, Benfica striker Ramos struggled to make an impression against Morocco’s defense.
He just had one shot on goal, an off-target header, and generated no chances for his teammates.
Opta statistics:
- Portugal has been eliminated from a World Cup quarter-final for the first time, despite having advanced from their two previous encounters at this point (5-3 v North Korea in 1966 and on penalties v England in 2006).
- Morocco had four clean sheets in this World Cup, one more than in their first 16 games in the competition between 1970 and 2018.
- Bounou, who was making his 50th appearance for Morocco, became the first African goalie to maintain three clean sheets in a World Cup.
- En-Nesyri has scored three goals from three shots on goal in this tournament, giving him more World Cup goals than any other Moroccan player in history (3).
What comes next?
Morocco somehow advances to the World Cup semi-finals. On Wednesday, they will meet France at Al Bayt Stadium.