Morocco became the first African team to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup after a sensational 1-0 win over Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal. Striker En-Nesyri scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute, and despite the intense efforts of the Portuguese to find an equaliser, the result did not change until the end of the match.
Ronaldo again did not start the challenge as a starter, as CR7 was thrown onto the pitch by coach Santos in the 50th minute. However, the inclusion of the superstar did not affect Portugal's game enough. Bruno Fernandes came very close to equalizing when he hit the crossbar just minutes after the Moroccans' goal. The latter played defensively throughout the second half, and occasionally used counterattacks to catch the Portuguese defense off guard.
At the end of the regular time, the referee agreed 8 extra minutes, which were characterized by emotions and nerves. The Moroccan striker Walid Cheddira was punished with a red card, after another yellow card, but even this did not serve Portugal, who thus left Qatar with the taste of disappointment.
Meanwhile, Morocco will face France in the semi-finals, which managed to eliminate England with a score of 2-1. The French took the lead very quickly with Tchouaméni in the 17th minute, after a fantastic long shot. England's reaction was not what was expected, as the "3 Lions" found it difficult to create chances from open play. However, Southgate's men found an equalizer in the 54th minute when Kane converted a penalty spot-on.
But the English captain's goal did not demoralize France, who continued their efforts to find the winning goal. And the long-awaited moment for the "turkeys" would come in the 78th minute. The author of the goal was Giroud, and now Deschamps's men are just one step away from the big final of the world.
