Morocco grew to become the primary African group to advance to the semifinals of a World Cup with a 1-0 win over Portugal on Saturday morning.
The profitable objective got here within the closing minutes of the primary half when Youssef En-Nesyri skied to win a header from a towering cross by Yahya Attiat-Allah. Portugal keeper Diogo Costa tried to beat En-Nesyri to the cross however En-Nesyri outjumped everybody and thumped the ball into the again of the online.
Morocco’s inconceivable run to the semifinals seemingly ends Cristiano Ronaldo’s probabilities of profitable a World Cup. The 37-year-old star began on the bench for the second consecutive sport and got here on simply minutes into the second half. His finest goal-scoring likelihood got here within the 91st minute as Ronaldo received a shot on the right track off between two Moroccan defenders on a break. However the shot was saved by Yassine Bounou.
Ronaldo instantly left the pitch after the sport and began crying as he walked down the tunnel to the Portugal locker room. His taking part in time in Saturday’s sport tied him for probably the most worldwide appearances with Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa at 196.
Shortly after that Ronaldo likelihood in added time, Morocco went all the way down to 10 males after substitute Walid Cheddira received two yellow playing cards in a matter of minutes. Morocco then needed to defend for the ultimate seven minutes with one fewer man than Portugal. Cheddira’s pink card for the second yellow was simply the second pink card issued to a participant all match.
Can Morocco win the World Cup?
Morocco’s success on the 2022 World Cup might be boiled down very simply. It doesn’t surrender objectives. The Moroccans have allowed only one objective by 5 video games and that was an personal objective. Nobody has scored towards Morocco on this match.
That defensive excellence was why Morocco received Group F over Croatia, Belgium and Canada and the way it grew to become the fourth completely different African nation to make the quarterfinals of a males’s World Cup. Cameroon first made the quarterfinals in 1990 earlier than Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010.
It is also a purpose why Morocco is a critical menace to win this World Cup. Whereas Morocco will find yourself taking part in France within the semifinals on Wednesday, it shut down a Portugal group that scored six objectives towards Switzerland, and a Spain group that scored seven towards Costa Rica earlier than that. Groups with larger stars and seemingly extra offensive expertise are discovering it not possible to attain towards this Moroccan group.
Portugal’s disappointment
Portugal, in the meantime, is left to rue what may have been its finest likelihood to win the World Cup. It has made the semifinals of the World Cup simply as soon as forward of a fourth-place end in 2006.
Ronaldo began six of Portugal’s video games in that match and scored a objective in a win over Iran. That World Cup established him as the focus of Portugal’s squad. However the group has been unable to duplicate that World Cup success. Portugal was eradicated within the Spherical of 16 in 2010 and 2018 and didn’t make it out of the group stage in 2014.
Portugal’s worldwide success with Ronaldo has come within the Euros. Portugal beat France 1-0 in further time to win Euro 2016. Ronaldo performed simply 20 minutes in that sport and was compelled to go away within the first half due to a knee damage.
This certain felt like Ronaldo’s final World Cup, particularly after he was dropped to the bench towards Switzerland and will quickly discover himself persevering with his membership soccer profession outdoors of an influence league.
And it’s not possible to quantify Saturday’s loss as something aside from a disappointment for one of many world’s best gamers ever and for Portugal. Ronaldo’s penalty kick objective within the first sport of the match towards Ghana was his solely objective of this World Cup, and it’s indeniable that Portugal regarded rather a lot higher with Gonçalo Ramos up entrance towards Switzerland than it had with Ronaldo main the entrance line in any of its different three video games.