FIFA World Cup : Portugal vs Morocco

 History was written, when arguable minnows Morocco became the first African to reach the semifinals of the World Cup, slaying a prodigal Portugal 1-0. Defending relentlessly against a very strong Portugal attack, & exhibiting super counter attacking intent, the Atlas Lions, have roared into the last four, having eliminated Belgium, Spain & now Portugal, all strong per tournament cup contenders. 

In an entertaining encounter, both teams went toe to toe without taking any backward steps, as Portugal held the initiatives in the early part of the game, dominating the openings without getting any clear view of the goal, while, Morocco went ahead, just minutes before the half time, as En-Nesyri struck with a decisive header. From a cross by Attiyah-Allah from the left, Portugal keeper Costa failed to read the flight & the Sevilla striker leapt beautifully to head the ball into the unguarded net, putting Morocco ahead 1-0, as the half time whistle blew. En-Nesyri became the first Moroccan to score three times in a World Cup tournament, & that too with just three shots on target - speak of conversion rates against all odds. 

The 2nd half continued to be a tightly contested affair, as the Portugal attacking line failed to convert their chances, & Moroccans held firm on their slender lead. Portugal players screamed for a penalty as Fernandes went down to a challenge by Achraf Hakimi, but a VAR review went abegging, as the Selecao players fumed in anguish. Finally the resilient & hard working Morocco scalped their more fancied opponent Portugal to a narrow 1-0 win. For Ronaldo & Pepe, this is most probably the end of the road in World Cup, as the new generation of Ramos, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Leao, Felix et all take over. 

Morocco, ranked as low as 22nd in the world, three places below Wales, have actually faced just two defeats in their last 45 games, which is probably a statistic that went unnoticed by all the major critics & football lovers, as the Atlas Lions have grown huge under the radar. They scored goals when it mattered the most & saved goals when it mattered the most - the hallmark of a Champion team in the making. Coach Walid Regragui has only been around 100 days with this team, & what transformation he was brought about. They now await the winners of France & England later in the night, the last of the quarterfinals. 

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