By Safiu Kehinde
The Atlas Lions of Morocco have set a new record as the first-ever African country and Arab nation to advance to the Semi-final stage of the FIFA World Cup tournament, following their 1-0 defeat of Portugal at the ongoing 2022 Qatar World Cup tournament.
A lone goal from Yousef En-Nyasri during the first half was what made the difference between Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal and Hakim Ziyechi-led Morocco.
Youssef En-Nyasri had capitalized on a cross from a teammate, Yahya Attiya, during the last minutes of the first half, heading the ball beyond the reach of the Portugual goalkeeper to put the Moroccans into an early lead which eventually saw them scale through the quarterfinals.
Despite the dominant display of Portugal with their crops of top stars which include Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leao, and the all-time leading scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, the Moroccans held to their ground, maintaining their 1-0 lead as they denied Portugal of clinical chances.
Having topped the group stage with seven points, Morocco was tagged the underdog following their qualification to the Round of 16 where they faced Luis Enrique’s led Spain.
The Atlas Lions, however, shocked the world of football as they scaled through the knockout stage, ousting Spain via a penalty shootout.
Their qualification for the quarterfinals made them the only African country left in the tournament following the defeat of Senegal by England who is pitched against defending champion, France in the last quarterfinals match to be played later today.
Meanwhile, the winner between the French and English side will face Morocco at the Semi-final.
