Morocco crowned as first African country to enter FIFA World Cup semifinal
Morocco has become the first African team to qualify for the semifinal of the FIFA World Cup after a battling 1-0 win over Portugal.
The Moroccan team is now one of the last four of the FIFA World Cup 2022 and will play in the semifinals.
On Tuesday, Argentina plays against Croatia in the semifinals, and the winner of the France-England clash, which is scheduled for tonight, plays versus Morocco on Wednesday.
The Moroccan team, nicknamed the Atlas Lions, beat the Portuguese side at the Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar on Saturday.
Morocco’s Youssef En-Nesyri recorded the sole goal in the 42nd-minute of the first half of the match when he out-jumped the Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa and nudged the ball into the goal with a header.
Portugal continued to dominate the pitch the whole time, struggling to create many clear-cut chances, but to no avail. In the second half, the Portuguese side piled on the pressure, however the Moroccans showed strong resistance and hung on despite being reduced to 10 men in added time.
Even the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal’s captain and superstar forward, could not rescue the Euro 2016 winners.
Instead it was another great day for Morocco following its earlier wins over Belgium and Spain.
Managed by Walid Regragui, Morocco has been rock-solid at the back, with just one goal conceded, an own goal, in the World Cup so far.
Morocco’s 1.96 meter goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has been a great asset for the African team. Bounou, better known by his footballing moniker, Bono, became world famous for his spectacular catches against Spain, holding the Spaniards scoreless in the penalty shootout against the Atlas Lions on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old shotstopper, who plays for Spanish team Sevilla, incorporated his skills and stature plus every trick in the goalkeepers’ book of deceptions, to become the first African to save two penalties in a World Cup match.
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