By 
Morocco became the first African team to advance to the semifinals of a World Cup after 1-0 win over Portugal in the quarterfinals on Saturday evening.
The only goal came in the final minutes of the openning half when Youssef En-Nesyri headed in a ball from close range after a towering cross by Yahya Attiat-Allah.
There is little or no talk about the game because it was a spirited fight put up by Morocco with no statistics on their side pushing them to the semifinals, an action that ended Cristiano Ronaldo’s chances of ever winning a World Cup.
The 37-year-old, Ronaldo started on the bench for the second consecutive game and came on just minutes into the second half with his best goal-scoring chance coming in the 91st minute as Ronaldo got a shot on target but it was saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
After that Ronaldo chance in added time, Morocco went down to ten men after substitute Walid Cheddira’s red card for the second yellow was just the second red card issued to a player all tournament, getting two yellow cards in a few of minutes.
This meant that Morocco had to defend for the final seven minutes with one fewer man than Portugal, something they did accurately.
When the referee blew the final whistle, the Morocco players went awee in celebrations as Ronaldo immediately left the pitch and started crying as he walked down the tunnel to the Portugal locker room.
The Atlas Lions will play the winner between France and England in the last quarter final on Saturday.
You must be logged in to post a comment.