Morocco beat Portugal and qualified for World Cup semifinals

After beating Spain on penalties and qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the Moroccan team beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal by one to zero with a goal from Youssef En-Nesyri and qualified for the first time in its history to the semifinals. The illusion ended for Ronaldo in this World Cup, which could be the last with the participation of the Portuguese crack. Although Portugal started the match as the favorite, Morocco broke the belief that surprises only reach the quarterfinals with an unquestionable victory. The wayIn the phase prior to the direct elimination, those led by Walid Regragui qualified as first of group F, leaving out Belgium and in the second position to Croatia -last runner-up of the world-. This is how Morocco reached the second round, an instance in which it eliminated Spain from the contest by penalties, after tying at zero during the 120 minutes played against the team led by Luis Enrique. Perhaps the most difficult chapter for the selected was this afternoon against Portugal, which in the second round thrashed Switzerland 6-1 to get the pass to the quarterfinals, showing a remarkable superiority in its game. Regragui’s featAgainst the odds, Regragui managed to overcome the quarterfinals for the first time in the history of Morocco, beating Cristiano’s team by one to zero. The goal came shortly before the end of the first half, when En-Nesyri jumped noticeably and deflected a cross to get the ball inside the goal in a confusing exit from Diogo Costa. With this victory, it will be the second time in the history of the World Cup that a non-European and non-American team will play the instance prior to the final. In the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, the Moroccan team managed to enter the second round, the only time in its history that it exceeded the group stage. However, hopes were ended when they lost to West Germany by one to zero. Looking to continue with the exploits, the coach will meet his next opponent this afternoon, with the result of the clash between France and England at 16:00 hours in Argentina, and must prepare the team for next Wednesday.

Original source in Spanish