Morocco becomes the first African country to play in a World Cup semi-final! The Atlas Lions beat Portugal 1-0 in Qatar. They found the fault through Youssef En-Nesyri (42nd minute), who took advantage of a missed outing by Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa. Walid Regragui’s men will face France on Wednesday in the last four.
Morocco have so far conceded only one goal, moreover scored against their side. Facing the Seleccao, Bounou made the decisive saves ahead of Joao Felix (5th / 82nd) and Ronaldo (91st). CR7, entered in the 51st, failed to save his country. The five-time Ballon d’Or, 37, will never win the World Cup.
Amrabat and Ounahi shone
In this quarter-final, the Moroccans did not only defend very well. They also, especially in the first half, showed superb sequences leaving the zone. Midfielders Amrabat and Ounahi were excellent, as were fullbacks Hakimi and Attiyat-Allah.
This success takes on a historical significance. Morocco managed to pass the milestone of the quarter-finals that Cameroon (in 1990 against England), Senegal (in 2002 against Turkey) and Ghana (in 2010 against Uruguay) had not been able to cross .
Morocco awaits France, Wednesday evening in half.
ats/ace