Morocco Advance to Semi-Finals, Recording Biggest Arab Achievement in History

Doha, December 10 (QNA) - Morocco national football team qualified to semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 after defeating Portugal 1-0, recording biggest Arab and African achievement in the history of World Cup. The Moroccan national team qualified for the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, after defeating its Portuguese counterpart, 1-0, in the quarterfinals. With this victory, the Moroccan national team accomplished the biggest Arab and African achievement in the history of the World Cup. The match's only goal was scored by Youssef En-Nesyri in the 42nd minute, when he jumped at a height of 2.78 meters above goalkeeper Diego Costa and put Yahia Attiyat Allah's cross into the Portuguese net. As a result of the Atlas Lions' campaign in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, they proved that the squad could be described as the "black horse" of this Arab edition of the World Cup, in which the Moroccan squad made history becoming the first Arab and African team to reach the World Cup's last four, a glory that will be remembered for a long time to come, in addition to having all the chances to reach the final match, if they managed to win the coming match against the winner of France-England match. Coach Walid Regragui’s lads gave a stunning performance, adding the star-packed Portuguese team to their list of victims that started with the Belgian team, ranked second in FIFA standings, followed by the Spanish team, the champion of the 2010 South African edition. The Portuguese squad’s strong kick-start embodied in Joao Felix's early header which was blocked by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou in the fourth minute, did not intimidate the Moroccan team, which did not just remain defensive. The Moroccan team replied with a header from a corner just over the crossbar in the sixth minute. Raphael Guerreiro led the continues Portuguese attacks, getting very close to scoring with a powerful shot that ended up going over the crossbar in the 11th minute. However, that did not deter the Moroccan players from launching quick counterattacks led by Azzedine Ounahi, Selim Amallah and Sofiane Boufal. In the 16th minute, Hakim Ziyech fired a powerful shot that got controlled by goalkeeper Diego Costa, with Bernardo Silva trying to respond with a similar shot, yet it also got controlled by Yassin Bono in the 20th minute. The Moroccan team's advance came amid the astonishment of coach Fernando Santos and his players, who tried to react quickly, so Bruno Fernandes fired a powerful shot that hit the crossbar on Bounou in the 45th minute, without preventing the Moroccan team from going out ahead with a 1-0 at the end of the first half. Coach Santos found no alternative but to make substitutions five minutes after the start of the second half, so he used the star Cristiano Ronaldo alongside Joao Cancelo, amid clear instructions to intensify the attack and from several axes. The pressure increased on the Moroccan team in the second half when it completed the rest of the stoppage time incomplete after Walid Cheddira left the pitch after receiving the second yellow card (90 + 4), but that did not prevent the Moroccan national team from launching counterattacks, one of which almost officially ended the match after Zakaria Aboukhlal missed a chance in front of Portuguese goalkeeper, and the Moroccan national team secured the score and came out with a historic victory, as the first Arab and African team reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup. (QNA)