Ronaldo sheds tears in tunnel as Portugal beaten by Morocco in World Cup 2022 quarterfinal, which could be his very last game internationally.
World Cup 2022 – Morocco 1-0 Portugal- Cristiano Ronaldo cries in the tunnel walking towards the dressing room after Portugal lost to Morocco in the Qatar 2022 quarter-finals.
World Cup 2022 – Morocco 1-0 Portugal- Quarterfinal Highlights
Morocco became the first African team ever to reach a World Cup semi-final as the Atlas Lions continued their fairytale run in Qatar with a 1-0 win over Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday.
It was a historic victory, milestone achievement for the Walid Regragui’s side, as they reached this far of the 2022 World Cup.
Fernando Santos made the bold move of keeping Cristiano Ronaldo out of the starting line-up in Portugal’s 6-1 victory over Switzerland in the Round of 16, and the trend continued in the game against Morocco.
Fernando Santos’ side unsurprisingly enjoyed early control, clear opportunities came and gone, especially wasted twice by Joao Felix with his shot all wide.
Encouraged, Morocco looked dangerous on the break and the contest livened up after the half-hour mark – Selim Amallah blazed over from Romain Saiss’ cut-back and the lively Sofiane Boufal shot at Diogo Costa from 25 yards.
Then came the deciding moment, with Youssef En-Nesyri’s brave and powerful header, just before the break.
The Morocco striker produced a truly jaw-dropping moment by flying above Ruben Dias and Portugal keeper Diogo Costa and heading into the open goal.
Ronaldo subbed in but…
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Portugal piled pressure on for much of the second half, introducing the again-benched Cristiano Ronaldo, but their efforts fell short much to the delight of the Morocco-dominated crowd.
Bruno Fernandes, Ronaldo and Felix (again) put everything they could, but the goal just did not come, thanks to a stunning performance by Yassine Bounou in the post, or the lack of precision in the finish.
Substitute Walid Cheddira’s stoppage-time dismissal for a second booking brought Morocco down to 10 men, but they stood still as the game finished by a tight 1-0.
Joy and sadness were mixed after the final whistle, some were happy after history made, to others, those were for their fa
There was a poignant moment captured moments after Ronaldo exited the pitch; the world bearing witness to a legend’s realisation that his World Cup story will finish without the trophy.
World Cup 2022 – Morocco 1-0 Portugal – Notable stats
– Portugal have been eliminated from a World Cup quarter-final for the first time in their history, having progressed from their two other matches at this stage (5-3 v North Korea in 1966 and on penalties v England in 2006).
– Morocco have kept four clean sheets at this World Cup, one more than they had recorded in their first 16 games in the competition between 1970 and 2018.
– Bounou, who made his 50th appearance for Morocco, became the first African goalkeeper to record three clean sheets in a single edition of the World Cup.
– En-Nesyri has scored three goals from just three shots on target at this tournament and has now scored more World Cup goals than any other Morocco player in their history (3).
What’s next?
Morocco go on to the World Cup semi-finals, facing France at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday.
