World Cup history: Morroco upset Portugal to become first Africa semifinalst, end Ronaldo's World Cup dreams

What is likely Cristiano Ronaldo's last World Cup ends in disappointment as a second-half substitute

Morocco spoiled what may have been Cristiano Ronaldo's final World Cup with a victory in the quarterfinal. The North African side delivered another stunning victory, defeating Portugal 1-0 becoming the first African nation to ever make the World Cup semifinals. Youssef En-Nesyri delivered the game-winning goal in the 42nd minute. They will face England or France in the semifinal on Wednesday.

Portugal kept the same game plan with Ronaldo on the bench but the end result never mirrored the 6-1 blowout against Switzerland. Morocco executed another solid defensive effort that stifled Portugal's attack and kept the opposition frustrated. An organized shape and conservative possession led to good counter-attacking moments.  A late game red card added more pressure for Morocco to close out the game while a man down, but their relentless efforts succeeded, and their Cinderella story continues in the World Cup. 

Morocco keeps making history

An unintimidated Morocco side perfectly executed their game plan in the quarterfinals. As they similarly did against Spain in the round of 16, the team strangled the spaces between the lines within their defensive shape in an effort to spring forward into attack when an advantageous opportunity presented itself. The group was smart in choosing the right moments to commit to the counter-press, and it led to effective spells of possession for the team despite spending less time on the ball in the first half. 

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Portugal outpassed Morocco in the first 45 minutes, executing 321 passes compared to 156 to Morocco, but the Atlas Lions proved once more that time with the ball only matters if you can get the ball in the back of the net. En-Nesyri's breakthrough goal just before the halftime whistle was the perfect catalyst to make Portugal hit the panic button in the second half.

Ronaldo's final World Cup ends in tears

Manager Fernando Santos wasted little time in the second half introducing Ronaldo into the match. Portugal's leading scorer came on in the 52nd minute as the team attempted to hurl everything at Morocco's defense. His presence demanded more attention and opened up more space in the final third, but an equalizer never came, and the Iberian side was ultimately eliminated. 

Ronaldo's fifth and possibly final World Cup has come to an end. The narrow loss was perhaps the opposite of a storybook ending for the 37-year-old striker, but the chapters written during this time are another stain on his legacy. Headlines around Rolando and his tumultuous relationship with Manchester United came to a head while the striker was on international duty. His eventual dismissal from the Premier League club was followed by rumors of a mega-millions deal to play for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr. The forward will now shift his focus to his next club after making a quarterfinal exit. 

What's next

The 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinals kick off on Tuesday, December 13 with Argentina and Croatia. Morocco awaits the winner of England-France and will meet either side on Wednesday, December 14. 

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:58 am ET · Roger Gonzalez]

Over!!!! Morocco have done it!!!!

History has been made! Morocco win 1-0! The first African team to ever make the World Cup semifinals!

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:54 am ET · Roger Gonzalez]

Red for Morocco!

Walid Cheddira receives his second yellow! Morocco down for 10 men for the last five minutes!

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:54 am ET · Roger Gonzalez]

8 added minutes!

Still time for Portugal!

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:45 am ET · Roger Gonzalez]

Bono!

Great stop from the Moroccan goalkeeper! He pushes a far-post shot over the box with a quick save! Wow!

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:38 am ET · Roger Gonzalez]

12 minutes to go ...

Time running out for Portugal now. Important to note that Morocco have conceded a tournament-low ONE goal in five games so far. Difficult task for the Portuguese, but they have the players to draw even in the final moments. 

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:38 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Portugal remains in Morocco's half

The team has won three corners in succession but has been unable to find the breakthrough. A recent attempt with the service toward the far post but Bono punches it away before Felix can get anything on it. 

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:33 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Morocco attempting to close the game out already?

A double-sub from Morocco in the 65th minute. Goalscorer En-Nesyri and Amallah are off while Benoun and Cheddira come into the game. It's a move to bulk up the backline, and Cheddira can bring fresh legs to keep chasing the match and run down Portuguese defenders. 

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:24 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Portugal still on the hunt

The game clock is just past the hour mark and Portugal is still on the hunt for an equalizer. Ronaldo has attracted a lot of attention, and Portgual is trying to take advantage of the extra space to transition with two looks from Ramos and Fernandes.  

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:21 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Romain Saiss carried off

After a good sequence for Morocco where Boufal got down the flank quickly Ounahi skyrockets a shot into the stands, Saiss is briefly treated on the pitch before immediately being carried off, he's unable to continue, it is a big loss for Morocco as the defender has provided essential coverage for the team this tournament. Achraf Dari is on to replace him. 

[Dec 10, 2022 at 11:12 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Cristiano Ronaldo in the game

An early substitution in the second half for Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo on for Ruben Neves, and Joao Cancelo on for Raphaël Guerreiro.

[Dec 10, 2022 at 10:56 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Halftime: Morocco 1-0 Portugal 

Some scenes at the end of the half as Fernandes goes down in the box, and Portugal is not happy with the no-call for a possible penalty. But that's the first half! Portugal with all the possession and Morocco showing once again that it doesn't matter. Morocco has been smart on the ball, picking the right time the execute their counter. Youssef El-Nesyr with the lone goal in the first half and makes history for Morocco as their leading scorer in a World Cup with three goals. 

[Dec 10, 2022 at 10:49 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

GOAL MOROCCO!

Youssef El-Nesyr opens the goal scoring! Yahia Attiyat Allah with the ball into the box for El-Nesyr who gets up in the box to head the ball through on goal. It's the first-ever goal for Morocco in the knockout stage of the men's World Cup. The goal is just before halftime and Portugal is quickly trying to level things before heading into the locker room. 

[Dec 10, 2022 at 10:44 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Goncalo Ramos down on the pitch

A brief stoppage in play after striker Goncalo Ramos gets treatment after a challenge by Ounahi. He was massive against Switzerland and scored a hat-trick. He's back up an running on the pitch. 

[Dec 10, 2022 at 10:36 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Half hour mark

Felix with quick reflexes and tries to capitalize on poor defensive clearance, but his quick shot towards the goal takes a deflection and goes just wide. A near costly mistake. A series of corner kicks for Portugal gives them a bit of control again, but Morocco is back on the ball. 

[Dec 10, 2022 at 10:28 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Good counter-press by Morocco 

The North African side with a good spell of possession against Portugal. Ounahi and Ziyech link up for a look in the final third but Ziyech's attempt is wide of the post. Then Amrabat and Ziyech combine briefly for a look outside of the box and win a corner. 

[Dec 10, 2022 at 10:18 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Morocco with a shot block!

Morocco getting a bit compact in their mid-block as Portugal continues to try and play through the lines. Otavio was fouled on an attempted ball through and won a free kick. Fernandes continues to provide good service in his World Cup campaign, this time into the penalty area. Guerreiro attempts a volley but it's blocked by Hakimi. 

[Dec 10, 2022 at 10:08 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Early looks for both teams

Opening five minutes with some early action. Portugal was able to find some space between Morocco's lines. Joao Felix makes a diving heading header and gets the first corner of the match. Morocco then goes the opposite way and gets a look in front of the goal off a corner of their own. 

[Dec 10, 2022 at 9:45 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Prediction

There's about 15 minutes till kickoff so let's have some fun with a prediction:

It will be a tense game between the two teams as every step closer to the World Cup final brings more nerves onto the pitch. Morocco will be fearless, but Portugal's attack is too plentiful and will come out on top. Pick: Portugal 2, Morocco 1.

[Dec 10, 2022 at 9:43 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

We remember Grant Wahl

[Dec 10, 2022 at 9:15 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Storylines: Portugal

The benching of Cristiano Ronaldo during their round of 16 match against Switzerland has completely reinvigorated this team. A 6-1 thrashing of the Swiss led by a hat-trick by 21-year-old forward Goncalo Ramos provided all the offensive answers the team was searching for through their group stage. The team looked better than they did in the knockout rounds with Ronaldo on the bench than they did navigating the group stage with him in the starting lineup. Manager Fernando Santos is looking for a repeat performance in today's game with Ronaldo on the bench again.

[Dec 10, 2022 at 9:10 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Storylines: Morocco

The North African side was relentless in their defensive coverage against Spain during the round of 16. They frustrated the Spaniards in regulation and through extra time and advanced on penalties and a big performance by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. The team will need a strong offensive performance by winger Hakim Ziyech with Sofiane Boufal and Youssef En-Nesyri in support

[Dec 10, 2022 at 9:02 pm ET · Sandra Herrera]

Starting Lineups

Morocco: Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, , Jawad Yamiq, Romain Saiss, Yahya Attiat-Allah, Sofyan Amrabat, Selim Amallah, Azzedine Ounahi, Hakim Ziyech, Soufiane Boufal, Youssef En-Nesyri. 

Portugal: Diogo Costa, Diogo Dalot, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Raphael Guerreiro, Bruno Fernandes, Otavio, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix, Goncalo Ramos, Ruben Neves

[Dec 10, 2022 at 9:02 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

What's at stake?

The 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals will see Morocco and Portugal meet on Saturday at Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar. A spot in the semifinals is on the line, and it is the third meeting in a World Cup between the two teams. Morocco got the better of Portugal in 1986, and 32 years later the Portuguese bested the Moroccans in 2018.

[Dec 10, 2022 at 8:56 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

How to watch and odds

Here's how you can watch today's game. Check out the odds for Morocco 👀

• Date: Saturday, December 10 | Time: 10 a.m. ET
• Location: Al Thumama Stadium
• TV: FOX and Telemundo | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
• Odds: Morocco +460; Draw +260; Portugal -155 (via Caesars Sportsbook) 

[Dec 10, 2022 at 8:55 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Welcome to Morocco vs. Portugal

Hello and welcome to Morocco vs. Portugal! I'm Sandra Herrera and I'll be with you providing live updates of today's match.