Morocco first ever African team to reach World Cup semifinals

Morocco made history on Saturday as the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal, defeating Portugal 1-0 to continue its sparkling run in Qatar, according to CNN.

The Cable News Network said Youssef En-Nesyri scored the game’s only goal, “rising highest to head the ball into the net just minutes before halftime, while Morocco’s defense once again kept a clean sheet.

“The Atlas Lions have become one of the stories of the tournament, holding fellow semifinalist Croatia to a draw in the group stage, and defeating Belgium, Spain and now Portugal on their way to a semifinal.”

“Before it was just the Moroccans who supported us, now it is the Africans and Arabs,” manager Walid Regragui said before the quarterfinal, referencing the electric atmosphere that has accompanied his team at every game.

CNN said the Al Thumama Stadium rang with cheers, drums and whistles on Saturday “as if almost an entire continent and region were inside, witnessing their team make history.”

“Defeat for Portugal marked the end of what is likely to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup, as even he could not make a dent in the Morocco defense and was left in tears walking down the tunnel after the final whistle.”

CNN said the Atlas Lions, meanwhile, launched Regragui into the air in their now trademark victory celebration.

It said the last time these two teams met, at the 2018 World Cup, Ronaldo scored the game’s only goal.

This time around, CNN said Ronaldo started on the bench for the second consecutive match.

Both teams began brightly, with Portugal dominating possession but unable to breakdown the well-organized Morocco defense, which has conceded just one goal during Qatar 2022, CNN said.

Instead, it said Morocco got the breakthrough three minutes before halftime, “as Yahia Attiyat-Allah floated the ball perfectly into the box and En-Nesyri rose highest, far above goalkeeper Diogo Costa and Rúben Dias, to head it into the net.”