Morocco made history Saturday as the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal, defeating Portugal 1-0 to continue its sparkling run in Qatar.
Youssef En-Nesyri scored the game’s only goal, rising highest to head the ball into the net just minutes before halftime, while Morocco’s defense once again kept a clean sheet.
The Atlas Lions have become one of the stories of the tournament, holding fellow semifinalist Croatia to a draw in the group stage, and defeating Belgium, Spain and now Portugal on their way to a semifinal
“Before it was just the Moroccans who supported us, now it is the Africans and Arabs,” manager Walid Regragui said before the quarterfinal, referencing the electric atmosphere that has accompanied his team at every game.
And the Al Thumama Stadium rang with cheers, drums and whistles on Saturday as if almost an entire continent and region were inside, witnessing their team make history.
Defeat for Portugal marked the end of what is likely to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup as even he could not make a dent in the Morocco defense and was left in tears walking down the tunnel after the final whistle.
More to follow..
CNN