That 2022 FIFA World Cup continued Saturday on FOX with Morocco take down Portugal, 1-0, at Qatar’s Al-Thumama Stadium in the penultimate quarter-final match of the tournament. Morocco became the first African nation to ever reach the World Cup semi-finals.
Portugal’s superstar and team captain Cristiano Ronaldo was demoted to the bench from the start for the team’s second game in a row. He took the field in the second half after Portugal fell behind, but was not enough to provide the spark Portugal needed to pull off a comeback win.
The all-time record between these two teams in the World Cup is now 2-1, with Morocco winning in 1986 and 2022.
There is another semi-final spot up for grabs on Saturday, which England takes on France Next (2:00 PM ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). The winner advances to Morocco in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
Here are the best plays!
Morocco vs. Portugal Highlights
6′: What could have been
Youssef En-Nesyri was so close to put Morocco on the board early, but his header was a little too high.
He attempted another header in the 26th minute, but it missed just to the right and things remained scoreless.
31′: Blocked!
Portugal’s Joao Felix made a big move close to the half hour mark and took a shot from outside the box but it was blocked.
Moments later, the Portugal defender Raphael Guerreiro tried a pass, but Gonçalo Ramos was taken offside.
42: Goal!
Finally, En-Nesyri was able to connect with the net and sink a header to give Morocco a 1-0 lead before the break.
Morocco’s Youssef En-Nesyri scores a goal against Portugal in the 42nd minute
Youssef En-Nesyri scores a RIDICULOUS header for Morocco in 2022 FIFA World Cup | Every angle
Morocco’s Youssef En-Nesyri produced a ridiculous header to score against Portugal in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
It was the Moroccan men’s national team’s first World Cup goal in the knockout phase.
45′: Off the bar!
Bruno Fernandes was inches away from the night before the break, but his attempt was no good.
52′: Ronaldo checks in
Ronaldo entered the match in the 52nd minute and substituted Ruben Neves.
58′: Can’t connect
Ramos tried to get Portugal on the board with a header in the second half, but it missed to the right.
60′: No stop
Morocco’s defense was relentless as the second half progressed.
Morocco defender Achraf Fra however, received the first yellow card of the game in the 70th minute.
82′: Saving the match
Morocco’s goalkeeper Bono came up with a massive save late in the second half on a wild combination involving Ronaldo and Félix to keep Portugal off the board.
Elsewhere, Portugal’s defender Diogo Dalot abandoned due to an injury, and vitinha took the second yellow card of the match.
Morocco’s Bono makes an incredible save to keep Portugal at bay
90’+1′: Another one!
Ronaldo made one last attempt to get Portugal on the board in stoppage time, but he was unable to connect after Bono produced another massive save for Morocco.
Cristiano Ronaldo came SO CLOSE to leveling the match for Portugal
90’+3′: Sees red
Morocco’s Walid Cheddira picked up back-to-back fouls in stoppage time to draw a late red card.
90’+7′: Portugal sent off
It all came down to the last moment where Pepe took the last shot of the game, but Portugal’s defender fell short.
90’+9′: History made
Just like that, things ended 1-0 and Morocco punched its ticket to the semi-finals for the first time in history.
Foreplay:
Startling lineup alert
Portuguese star Ronaldo was relegated to the bench for Portugal’s second game in a row after being replaced in the starting XI for Tuesday’s game against Switzerland by 21-year-old Ramos – who scored a hat-trick in Portugal’s resounding 6-1 win – before eventually coming on for Ramos in the 73rd minute.
It was the first time the 37-year-old forward did not start a World Cup match since 2006. Reports emerged shortly after Ronaldo told manager Fernando Santos he would quit after learning he would not start for the national team — a report The Portuguese Football Federation rejected the page in a statement.
On Friday, his manager spoke about all the discussion surrounding Ronaldo’s statusand said: “I think it’s high time to leave Cristiano Ronaldo alone. In every press conference, 90% of the questions are about Cristiano Ronaldo.”
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