Morocco 1-0 Portugal highlights: Atlas Lions become first African team to qualify for World Cup semis; Ronaldo’s Portugal crashes out

Highlights of the Morocco vs Portugal FIFA World Cup 2022 quarterfinal match at the Al Thumama Stadium.

Updated : Dec 10, 2022 23:42 IST

Badr Benoun of Morocco celebrates after the team’s victory during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarterfinal match between Morocco and Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on December 10, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.
Badr Benoun of Morocco celebrates after the team’s victory during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarterfinal match between Morocco and Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on December 10, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. | Photo Credit: Francois Nel/Getty Images
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Badr Benoun of Morocco celebrates after the team’s victory during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarterfinal match between Morocco and Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on December 10, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. | Photo Credit: Francois Nel/Getty Images

Welcome to Sportstar’s highlights of the Morocco vs Portugal FIFA World Cup 2022 quarterfinal match at the Al Thumama Stadium.

NOT THE IDEAL ENDING!!

Ronaldo, who has eight World Cup goals, failed to score in all of his World Cup knockout games.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal walks off the pitch after the team’s 0-1 defeat in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter final match between Morocco and Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on December 10, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal walks off the pitch after the team’s 0-1 defeat in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter final match between Morocco and Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on December 10, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. | Photo Credit: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
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Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal walks off the pitch after the team’s 0-1 defeat in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter final match between Morocco and Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on December 10, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. | Photo Credit: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

FULL-TIME!!

HISTORY FOR MOROCCO!! MOROCCO BECOMES THE FIRST AFRICAN TEAM TO QUALIFY FOR A FIFA WORLD CUP SEMIFINAL AFTER BEATING PORTUGAL 1-0 IN THE QUARTERFINAL!!

90+7’

CLOSE- Pepe is inches away from equalising for Portugal. His header hits the side netting and goes out of play. Morocco seconds away from scripting history.

90+6’

HOW HAS HE MISSED THAT? A long ball forward releases Aboukhlal through on goal, but he can’t keep his composure to beat Costa. That would have sealed the match for Morocco.

90+3’

RED CARD: Cheddira sees his second yellow and is sent off! Morocco will need to hang on with 10 men.

90+1’

Booking: Morocco’s Cheddira sees yellow

90+1’

BIG SAVE- Ronaldo times his run perfectly and gets at the end of the through ball. He shoots low and hard at Bono’s near-post but he gets down to make the save. The entire nation thanks him.

90’

Eight added minutes at the end of the first-half!!

89’

Time running out for Ronaldo his Portugal team as we approach the 90th minute. The additional time will be a huge factor in this game.

88’

Booking: Portugal’s Vitinha sees yellow for his challenge on Ounahi.

84’

Bruno’s cheeky attempt from the freekick does not quite work out. He tries a clever ball inside but the Morocco wall is alert enough to cut the pass out. Netherlands 2.0? Not quite

83’

BIG SAVE- Ronaldo lays off the ball for Felix and the latter dispatches a venomous curler that was on its way to the top-left corner. But Bono dives at full-stretch to get his hand to it and send the ball out for a corner. A big save by the Moroccan keeper.

82’

Morocco subs: IN- Jabrane, Aboukhlal OUT- Boufal, Ziyech

79’

Portugal sub: IN- Horta OUT- Dalot

78’

Worrying signs for Morocco as Ziyech is down the ground and receiving medical attention. It is yet to be seen whether he continues or not.

75’

Close- Another good counter-attack from Morocco and the Portugal defence was left open for a second. However, the final ball was not up to the mark as the ball goes out of play.

74’

Bruno’s corner goes towards Ronaldo, but the latter cannot make contact with it as the ball is just above his head.

71’

Bruno delivers a ball inside the box from a free-kick. Silva was there but could not get an ideal connection as another chance goes begging.

70’

Booking: Morocco’s Dari, who replaced Saiss, sees yellow for his challenge on Leao.

69’

Portugal subs: IN- Vitinha, Leao OUT- Otavio, Ramos

68’

Bruno uses the inside of his right foot to try an outswinging shot at Bono but the Moroccan keeper does well to read it and hold on to the ball. Ricardo Quaresma vibes anyone?

68’

Cancelo delivers a cross inside the box from a Portugal freekick but cannot clear the first man. It is easily cleared by the Morocco defence.

65’

Morocco subs: IN- Cheddira, Benoun OUT- Amallah, En-Nesyri. The goalscorer comes off.

64’

Bruno Fernandes goes for a shot from the edge of the box and misses the target by inches as the ball creeps just over the bar. It was a powerful effort but a bit overhit.

63’

Ronaldo has had the ball in a couple of good positions but hasn’t been able to do much with it.

61’

Dalot tries to get the better of Attiat-Allah on the right flank but the defender makes good use of his upper body strength to shield the ball from the Portuguese fullback.

58’

Morocco sub: IN- Dari OUT- Saiss. Saiss was having a brilliant night but it is an unfortunate end for the defender as he is stretchered off the pitch.

58’

Chance- Ramos with a chance to work Bono but his effort is wide. Portugal will be desperate to get the equaliser.

56’

Morocco with another dangerous counter-attack and Portugal looked exposed for a second. Ounahi goes for a first-time shot from outside this box but skies his shot. A disappointing effort from the player there.

STAT!!
This is Cristiano Ronaldo’s 196th international cap - a FIFA record.
52’

Portugal subs: IN- Ronaldo, Cancelo OUT- Neves, Guerreiro

49’

Ziyech swings on a dangerous ball from the right and the ball bounced dangerously in front of Costa. In the end, the ball is cleared as no Morocco player could get a decent contact with it. Portugal with a close shave.

48’

Hakimi leaves Neves behind and does well to keep the ball in play. He cuts in and tries to find a good cross inside the box, but is is fouled by Pepe. Morocco has a freekick.

47’

Portugal on the attack right from the start. Dalot’s cross from the right flank takes a touch off a Morocco player and Portugal has its first corner of the second-half. It needs to attack right from the start.

SECOND-HALF!!

Morocco starts the second-half with a 1-0 lead against Portugal. En-Nesyri is the goalscorer.

With Portugal losing at half-time, it is a good time to ask this question.

HALF-TIME!!

Morocco goes into half-time with a 1-0 lead against Portugal courtesy of En-Nesyri’s goal in the 42nd minute.

45+2’

Morocco with a brilliant counter-attack and a brilliant chance to make grab a second. En-Nesyri lays off Attiat-Allah on the left flank who lashes a first-time shot at goal. But, he cannot keep his effort on target.

45’

Two added minutes at the end of the first-half!!

45’

OFF THE BAR- Portugal inches away from getting an immediate equaliser as Bruno’s effort hits the post. Bono was a beaten man there.

42’

GOOOALLLLL!!! MOROCCO SCORES!! EN-NESYRI WITH THE HEADER!! Attiat-Allah sends a brilliant cross inside the box from the left flank and En-Nesyri towers over everyone and heads the ball in the net. In all fairness, Costa should have done better but take nothing away from El-Nesyri. He has had the fewest touches among any player on the pitch.

39’

Guerreiro passes the ball to Felix inside the box, who goes for a first-time shot at goal. But, he cannot keep his effort down and sees the ball sail over the bar.

38’

Brilliant vision by Ziyech to pick out En-Nesyri with a long ball but the pass is a tad bit heavy for the latter to reach and Costa collects the ball.

35’

Boufal goes for a long-ranger but his effort lands straight at Costa and the Portugal keeper collects the ball without much fuss.

35’

Attiat-Allah squares the ball to Amallah from the left flank. The latter tries to guide his shot towards goal but blazes his effort over the goal.

33’

Bruno tries to find Dalot witha lofted through ball but the pass is overhit and the latter cannot reach the ball. Dalot acknowledges the intent with a thumbs-up.

31’

Joao Felix lashes a shot at goal. The ball takes a wicked deflection off Yamiq and hits the side-netting. The defender is extremely fortunate there.

STAT!!
At 26 years, 332 days old, Portugal is fielding its youngest ever starting XI in a World Cup match.
26’

Ziyech sends in a good ball in the Portugal box from a Morocco freekick. En-Nesyri gets at the end of the cross and flicks a header towards goal but cannot keep his effort on target.

23’

Guerreiro sends in a cross from the left flank and both Bruno Fernandes and Bono went for the ball. There is a collision, but fortunately, none of the players is seriously injured. There was some tension brewing but the referee steps in immediately to dissipate the situation.

20’

After soaking a bit of the initial pressure from Portugal, the Atlas Lions are creating ample attacks of their own. Both teams seems to have settled in the match.

18’

Ziyech cuts in and shoots at Costa’s near-post but the effort is wayward and rolls out of play. How many times have we seen him doing that?

17’

Morocco push forward after getting the ball but the attack ends after Hakimi loses the ball. Ziyech chased the ball but could not get it.

A lot at stake for Morocco!!

13’

Bruno delivers a good cross inside the box from a Portugal set-piece. Morocco cannot clear its lines and Guerreiro had a crack at goal but could not find the target.

10’

Morocco showed lovely teamwork to play the ball out from the back amidst pressure from the Portugal players. Boufal finds Ziyech with a well-measured pass but the latter lost the ball after attempting a dragback at the edge of the box.

9’

Bruno Fernandes finds Felix on the right flank with a wonderful diagonal but the latter could not maximise the opportunity as he couldn’t control the ball and lost possession.

7’

Ziyech delivers a good ball inside the box from a corner, which found En-Nesyri, but he could not keep his header on target.

5’

Felix hurls his body at a cross and gets his head to the ball. He connects well with the header but Bono is alert enough to make the save.

2’

Ramos looks to make an early charge at goal but he is dispossessed by Amrabat. Morocco’s defence will need to be at its best if it wants a positive result today.

1’

Player to watch - Portugal’s Goncalo Ramos. He scored a hat-trick in his first World Cup start against Switzerland in the Round of 16 match.

KICK-OFF!!

AND WE ARE UNDERWAY!! Portugal and Morocco kick-off its quarterfinal match at the Al Thumama Stadium

With Ronaldo benched for the second consecutive World Cup game, here is what Fernando Santos had to say ahead of the match!!

“I will use what I believe is the right strategy, as I have done my entire life.”Portugal coach Fernando Santos

Morocco vs Portugal head-to-head record!!
Played: 2
Morocco wins: 1
Portugal wins: 1
Draws: 0
Morocco goals: 3
Portugal goals: 2
Match history
June 11, 1986: Morocco 3-1 Portugal (FIFA World Cup)
June 20, 2018: Morocco 0-1 Portugal (FIFA World Cup)
Morocco vs Portugal starting XI!!
Morocco: Yassine Bounou(GK), Achraf Hakimi, Romain Saiss, Sofyan Amrabat, Selim Amallah, Azzedine Ounahi, Hakim Ziyech, Soufiane Boufal, Youssef En-Nesyri, Jawad Yamiq, Yahya Attiat-Allah
Portugal: Diogo Costa(GK), Diogo Dalot, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Raphael Guerreiro, Bruno Fernandes, Otavio, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix, Goncalo Ramos, Ruben Neves

PREVIEW

These really are pinch-yourself times for Morocco: A first ever spot in the quarterfinals of a World Cup — the first to take place in the Arab world, no less — and now a meeting with Portugal and its superstar striker, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Well, maybe.

Because Ronaldo has again managed to steal the spotlight in his inimitable way, even bumping Morocco’s historic run to the last eight off the top of the agenda ahead of Saturday’s narrative-laden match.

Predicted lineups
Morocco: Bounou; Hakimi, Saiss, Aguerd, Mazraoui; Ounahi, Amrabat, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal
Portugal: Costa; Dalot, Pepe, Dias, Guerreiro; B. Silva, Carvalho, Otavio; Fernandes, Ramos, Felix

Will he start, or won’t he? That’s the big question being asked about Ronaldo after he was dropped by Portugal coach Fernando Santos for the 6-1 win over Switzerland in the round of 16 on Tuesday.

Not only was the five-time world player of the year relegated to the bench, his replacement — 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos — scored a hat trick to leave Santos with quite the selection dilemma against Morocco.

The announcement of Portugal’s team some 90 minutes before the game is keenly awaited as Ronaldo prepares to play in the quarterfinals of the World Cup for just the second time in his glittering career. Portugal is at this stage for only the third time, perhaps surprising given the talent to have come from the country down the years.

As for Morocco, the nation is in uncharted territory after becoming only the fourth African country to reach the quarterfinals at soccer’s biggest tournament, after Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010). None of them reached the semifinals. Morocco is also the only team from outside Europe or South America to make it to the last eight in Qatar.

Its penalty-shootout victory over Spain in the last 16 sparked wild celebrations not just among its many fans in Qatar but at home and also in the Moroccan diaspora of around 5 million people spread mostly around Europe, which has united behind the World Cup run of the team nicknamed the “Atlas Lions.”

Morocco fans poured into the streets of European cities to celebrate the team’s passage to the quarterfinals, which came after Morocco advanced from a group containing second-ranked Belgium and 2018 runner-up Croatia.

The team is coached by Walid Regragui, who was born in France, and 14 of the 26 players in the squad were born abroad — the highest proportion for any team at a World Cup being held in the Middle East for the first time in its 92-year history.

The Arab world’s standard bearer, Morocco is in the quarterfinals on merit, too. The team has only conceded one goal — and that was an own-goal against Canada — and is proving so well-organized, with a sturdy back four headlined by Achraf Hakimi, a dedicated midfield anchorman in Sofyan Amrabat, two mercurial wingers in Hakim Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal, and a striker in Youssef En-Nesyri who occupies defenses with his relentless work rate.

Three key players might be struggling to be healthy enough to play against Portugal, though. Amrabat said he played with a back injury requiring painkilling injections in the match against Spain, during which captain Romain Saiss finished the game with his leg bandaged up after treatment and fellow center back Nayef Aguerd hobbled off in tears with an apparent thigh injury.

Portugal doesn’t appear to have such problems, with Santos’ squad depth so impressive that he could afford to leave players like Ronaldo, Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves on the bench against Switzerland after they started every group game.

Santos said he picks his team according to the strengths and weaknesses of his opponent but it will be a surprise if he makes any changes after a match that thrust Portugal among the tournament favorites.

Even if he starts as a substitute again, Ronaldo — playing in his likely last World Cup — is expected to see some time on the field. Given the drama constantly surrounding him, he’s sure to be a talking point whatever happens.

-AP

When and where to watch

When will the Morocco vs Portugal quarterfinal match kick-off?

The Morocco vs Portugal quarterfinal match will kick-off at 8:30 pm IST, December 10.

Where will the Morocco vs Portugal quarterfinal match kick-off?

The Morocco vs Portugal quarterfinal match will kick-off at the Al Thumama Stadium.

Where can you watch the Morocco vs Portugal quarterfinal match in India?

The Morocco vs Portugal quarterfinal match will be telecasted live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD. On Android and well as iOS, the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be live streamed on JioCinema.

Where can you watch the Morocco vs Portugal quarterfinal match outside India?

Argentina – Live Stream: Telemundo

United States – TV: FOX, Telemundo; Live Stream: fuboTV, Fox Sports app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo

Canada – TV: CTV, TSN; Live Stream: fuboTV, TSN app

United Kingdom – TV: BBC One; Live Stream: BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Website

Australia – TV: SBS; Live Stream: SBS On Demand

New Zealand – TV: Sky Sports; Live Stream: Sky Sport

Malaysia – TV: RTM, Astro; Live Stream: Astro Go

Singapore – TV: Mediacorp Channel 5; Live Stream: StarHub TV+, IPTV, Singtel TV

Hong Kong – TV: BeIN Sports, ITV; Live Stream: Now TV, ViuTV

Nigeria – SuperSport and Showmax Pro.

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