Morocco has had a fairytale run in the FIFA 2022 World Cup so far. Having beaten the likes of Belgium and Spain on their way to the quarterfinals where they faced off against Cristiano Ronaldo starrer Portugal, who were also one of the tournament favorites. In yet another shocking upset, the Moroccans defeated Portugal 1-0 in a hard fought matchup to make it to the semifinals of FIFA 2022. Portugal on the other side have crashed out of the tournament, in what is seemingly Ronaldo’s final world cup appearance.
The match kicked off with Portugal setting the ball rolling and maintaining early ball possession. Portugal sent in some early attacks within the first 15 minutes including a fiery free kick by Fernanzdez, but nothing got converted. Morocco also responded with a decent counterattack, with Ziyech cutting inside and taking a shot from outside the box that went wide off the goal.
35 minutes into the first half, Left-back Yahya Attiat-Allah had a promising chance as he made several surging runs down the flank, crossing the ball to Selim Amallah stationed inside the box, but he was unable to convert. A couple of minutes in, a terrible clearance from Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa allows Moroccan fullback sending in a high bal into the Portuguese box that finds Youssef En Nesyri, who sends in a towering header into the nets out jumping both goalkeeper and defender Ruben Dias to hand Morocco the lead at 42 minutes.
In the closing moments of the first half, Fernandes almost got the equalizer for Portugal as he shot a powerful volley from the right just outside the box that actually beat goalkeeper Bounou and smashed the bar before being cleared away by the Moroccan defenders. The first half eventually ended in a goalless draw. At the conclusion of the first half, numerous angry players surrounded referee Facundo Tello and confronted him over several penalty appeals that had been denied, adding to the pressure on Portugal.
After a dramatic first half that saw Morocco get their opener, the second half began with the Moroccans kicking things off and taking early charge, putting some more pressure on Portugal. In the 49th minute, Ziyech fired a free kick from the right that swung in low into the Portuguese goalkeeper who managed to save it. The 57th minute saw Captain Romain Saiss get carried off the field on a stretcher after sustaining a seemingly serious injury, and was replaced by Achraf Dari.
With the Moroccan captain gone, Portugal unleash a wave of attacks to get the much needed equalizer. 63 minutes into the match, a cross from the left finds Fernandes who fires a powerful shot from just outside the box that goes just over the bar. He carried on with his moves as he sliced in the ball from the outside a few minutes later to find Ronaldo inside the box who sent in a header straight into the hands of Bounou.
Ziyech is given some medical treatment following an injury and hobbles off the field in the 81st minute. As the timer is closing in towards the end, Portugal is now desperate to get the equalizer. Seconds later, Felix fires a brilliant shot from outside the box that goes palmed away following an extraordinary dive by Bounou. Ronaldo came close to scoring in the final minute when he received a clear pass, but Bounou came out just in time to smother the attack. 8 minutes added as extra time, and Portugal still trailing behind!
2 minutes in, Cheddira is sent off the field following a red card resulting from two yellow cards. Morocco were now in a bit of trouble, having to play with 10 men at the most crucial juncture of the game. Portugal had just one last attack from their arsenal in the 97th minute when Pepe sent in a header wide off the goal after a cross from the left. The referee blows the final whistle and it is all over for Ronaldo & his men!
Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou did brilliantly on the night as he stood his ground, not letting a single Portuguese strike get past him. It was the strong Moroccan defense lineup that made life miserable for Ronaldo and his men as they struggled to slice through. In the end, it was a deserving player of the match accolade to honor the brilliance of Bounou on a memorable night for Morocco.
Morocco are yet to allow an opposition player to score a goal against them in this tournament. It’ll be interesting to see if they can maintain this trend in the following matches. With this victory, Morocco will now face either England or France in the semifinals of the FIFA 2022 World Cup!
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