Morocco Defeats Portugal 1-0 to Reach Semifinals... 'Africa's First'

'Winning Goal' Nusairi, Morocco Player with Most World Cup Goals at 3
Portugal Eliminated in Quarterfinals Despite Substituting Ronaldo

Morocco players celebrating after the victory

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] Morocco defeated Portugal to become the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals.

On the 11th (Korean time), Morocco won 1-0 against Portugal in the 2022 Qatar World Cup quarterfinals held at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, thanks to a winning goal by Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla).

With this victory, Morocco set a new record by reaching the semifinals for the first time in 32 years since their World Cup debut at the 1970 Mexico tournament. It is also the best record ever achieved by an African nation. So far, Cameroun (1990), Senegal (2002), and Ghana (2010) have reached the quarterfinals, but Morocco is the first to advance to the semifinals.

Morocco's advancement to the semifinals is even more meaningful because they broke through against strong teams. Morocco defeated Belgium in the group stage, won against Spain in a penalty shootout, and then overcame Portugal, securing victories against European powerhouses.

In the match, Morocco played efficiently against Portugal. Although Portugal led in possession (62%) compared to Morocco (27%), Portugal had the advantage in shots in the first half with 7 (2 on target) to Morocco's 5 (1 on target).

Morocco succeeded in breaking Portugal's net in the 42nd minute of the first half. Achraf At-Tayeb (Wydad) delivered a cross from the left flank, and En-Nesyri leapt high to head the ball into the goal in front of the net. En-Nesyri became the Moroccan player with the most World Cup goals in history, scoring a total of 3.

Portugal's Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) took a threatening shot from the right side in the 45th minute of the first half, but it hit the crossbar and bounced out.

In the 6th minute of the second half, Portugal substituted R?ben Neves (Wolverhampton) and Rapha?l Guerreiro (Dortmund) for Cristiano Ronaldo and Jo?o Cancelo (Manchester City) in an attempt to turn the game around. However, it was not enough to overturn the result. Hamous's header in the 13th minute of the second half went wide to the right of the goalpost, and 6 minutes later, Fernandes's right-footed shot from the penalty arc narrowly missed the goal. In stoppage time, Ronaldo's right-footed shot, breaking into the back space, was saved by Morocco's goalkeeper Yassine Bounou (Sevilla), and Pepe's header also failed to result in a goal.

Ultimately, Portugal failed in their attempt to reach the semifinals for the first time in 16 years and ended their tournament run.

Morocco will face France, who defeated England in the quarterfinals, in the semifinals on the 15th at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.