It is interesting to note that Morocco is the first African nation to reach the semi-final stage of a World Cup after they stunned Portugal in Qatar on Saturday.
Youssef En-Nesyri headed home the only goal of the game to earn Morocco a historic victory.
Portugal piled on the pressure late on and introduced Cristiano Ronaldo as a second-half substitute but could now claw their way back into the game.
The winner will play England or France in the semi-final.
Match Analysis: FIFA World Cup – Morocco vs Portugal
Not even the 51st minute introduction of Cristiano Ronaldo – once again left on the bench by his manager Fernando Santos – could inspire a Portugal comeback, as Bruno Fernandes hit the crossbar while Goncalo Ramos and Bernardo Silva missed the target from good positions.
Late on, Morocco required heroics from goalkeeper Bono who saved from Joao Felix and Ronaldo while Pepe missed a sitter in the final minute of eight in stoppage time – which also saw substitute striker Walid Cheddira sent off for two quickfire yellow cards.
Morocco’s shock run to the last four – which has seen them beat Belgium, Spain and Portugal and concede just one own goal in five World Cup matches – sets up a semi-final clash with the winner of England and France’s blockbuster quarter-final.
Fresh from their 6-1 win over Switzerland in the last 16, Portugal began the game brightly with a couple of first-half chances falling to Joao Felix.
The forward put an early header straight at Bono and saw a deflected shot land on the top of the Morocco goalkeeper’s net before flashing over a first-time finish from the edge of the area when found in acres of space.
A frantic end to the first half saw Fernandes crash a dipping volley against the crossbar before seeing a penalty challenge waved away by referee Facundo Tello when put through on goal moments later.
Morocco started the second period strongly, with Hakim Ziyech testing the gloves of Costa from a free-kick – a major chance which prompted the introduction of Ronaldo on 51 minutes
But it was Goncalo Ramos who was on the receiving end of a major chance immediately after Ronaldo’s entrance, heading Otavio’s defence-opening cross wide from inside the box.
Bernardo Silva had two great opportunities in quick succession to level but curled over from the edge of the area before failing to connect in the box after a smart free-kick move.
Yet none of those chances compared to the three that fell Portugal’s way in the final 10 minutes. First, Felix’s rasping drive towards the top corner was tipped over by Bono – who had to be equal to Ronaldo’s low effort when the 37-year-old ran through one-on-one.
Morocco were close to finding a second when Zakaria Aboukhlal burst clear through but his clumsy chip was easily saved by Costa – yet Pepe had an even better chance at the other end as he headed wide from inside the six-yard box following Rafael Leao’s cross.
The full-time whistle sparked jubilant scenes from the Morocco players and their thousands of supporters in the stands – while Ronaldo immediately marched off the pitch in tears in what is likely to be his last World Cup appearance.
Cc: Skysports