FIFA FOOTBALL WORLD CUP QATAR 2022 - NEWS BLOG - UPDATE 45

 QUARTER FINAL 3 - MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

MOROCCO VS. PORTUGAL

Morocco defeats Portugal to become the first African team to reach the last four of the World Cup

The quarterfinals of the World Cup Qatar took place on 10 December ( Japan 11 hours), where Morocco defeated Portugal 1-0 to become the first African team to advance to the last four. In the semi-finals on the 14th (and 15th), England will face the winner of France.

Morocco opened the scoring just after 40 minutes of the first half with a long-running header from a cross from the left. For Portugal, Ronald started on the bench for the second game in a row. We had a long period of time when we kept the ball and were able to capitalize on our opportunities.

Morocco's first top-four appearance - Who is forward Nesiri, who changed history - Soccer World Cup

Morocco defeated Portugal 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the World Cup Qatar on 10 December (11 Japan hours) to become the first African team to reach the last four. What kind of player is forward Neshiri, who decided the final head like a "birdman" who changes history?

The 25-year-old plays for Sevilla, Spain's first division, one of the world's top leagues. In the 2020~21 season, he scored 18 goals and is the team's top scorer.

In the quarter-finals on that day, he scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute of the first half with a header that took advantage of his height of 188 cm. The flight time was very long, and he jumped higher than the goalkeeper's outstretched arm, let alone the opposing defender. In this tournament, he also scored the winning goal against Canada in the first round.

MOROCCO DEFEATS PORTUGAL IN QUARTER FINAL - QUALIFIES FOR SEMI FINAL

Soccer World Cup Top 4 Morocco becomes first African team to advance

The soccer World Cup Qatar will take place on 10 December (11 Japan hours), with two quarter-final matches remaining, with Morocco and defending champions France each winning. Together with Argentina and Croatia, who had qualified for the semi-finals the day before, the top four teams were in the lineup. For the first time by region, Africa made the final four, with 1, Europe 2, and South America 1.

Morocco defeated Portugal 1-0. France won the title showdown against England 2-1.

The semi-finals will be between Argentina and Croatia and France and Morocco.

Portugal's Ronaldo leaves 4 strong, tears and lonely end World Cup

In the quarterfinals of the World Cup Qatar on 10 December (11 Japan hours), Portugal lost to Morocco and missed out on reaching the last four for the first time in four tournaments.

The global star left the big stage without shining until the end. Portugal's Ronald, who was eliminated in the last eight, left the pitch quickly, wiping away the tears that spilled out with his hands.

It came in the sixth minute of the second half when they chased one goal. Suffered Moroccan marks to harden the defense. In the 37th minute, he created an opportunity with a one-touch pass in front of goal, but Joao Felix's shot was blocked by a good save by opposing goalkeeper Bunu. He reacted to a through ball in the closing minutes of the match and his shot hit Bunu in front. There was no big showing, and he finished his fifth World Cup.

He has won the Ballon d'Or award for the best player in the world five times, and has captivated football fans with his glamorous play and appearance. At the age of 37, the world was paying attention to what would be his last World Cup. However, after scoring a penalty kick in the first match of the first round and scoring a goal in five consecutive tournaments for the first time in history, they were silent after that. As a result, the content was far from ideal.

He expressed his dissatisfaction with his club Manchester United (England) to the English media, and left the club immediately after the start of this tournament. The dissonance didn't end there, with the irony of being left out of the starting line-up after a frustrated substitution in the final game of the first round, with substitute Ramos scoring a hat-trick (three goals per game). He has supported Portugal as an absolute mainstay, but for the current team, there was also a dilemma that without Ronald they could play speedy and smooth football.

"My only interest is the World Cup, not anything else." Ronald showed extraordinary enthusiasm, but left the stadium without appearing in front of the press with a bad aftertaste. If this is going to be the end of an era, it will be too sad.

CHRISTIANO RONALDO LEAVES THE GROUND IN TEARS AFTER LOSING TO MOROCCO

Morocco's whirlwind, the driving force behind Africa's long-awaited aspirations to reach the top four of the World Cup for the first time

In the quarterfinals of the World Cup Qatar on 10 December (11 Japan hours), Morocco defeated Portugal to advance to the last four for the first time among African teams.

Sing, dance, make noise and share joy as if they had won. Both the pitch and the spectators were drunk at this historic moment. Morocco defeated Spain and Portugal in a row to reach the last four for the first time in history. Bunu, the guardian who endured the opponent's onslaught, was delighted, saying, "I would like to thank my teammates and supporters for their hard work."

Defend and win. We have achieved the ideal game that we can do now and opened the door to history.

While Portugal kept possession of the ball, they erased space and defended firmly, not allowing a decisive shot. In the 42nd minute of the first half, Nesiri headed in a high cross from the left and scored the opening goal.

After that, they overcame a series of troubles with organizational strength and unity. In the 12th minute of the second half, captain Sìss was injured and the defensive line dropped and dangerous scenes began to increase, so he changed from a back four to a back five and rebuilt the team. At the start of injury time eight minutes before the end of the match, Shedira was sent off after receiving his second yellow card of the day. They were at a numerical disadvantage and faced a series of crises, but they were unable to convert the goal on this day, led by goalkeeper Bunu, who defended well repeatedly.

This steadfastness is the driving force behind the whirlwind. In their five matches in this tournament, they have conceded only one goal due to an own goal against Canada in the first round. When we defend and when we go on offense, we are united in our intentions. He is highly conscious of returning home by switching between offense and defense, and is strong on the ball. They eliminated Croatia and Belgium in the first round and Spain and Portugal in the final tournament. Coach Reglaghi said: "We were able to do what we wanted to do and defend very well."

They broke through the "wall" and made it to the top four, fulfilling the long-cherished wish of the African team. However, the coach is looking further ahead, saying, "We still have to compete against the world's top teams to win the title." We're not going to end the red whirlwind here just yet.

"We don't want our opponents to reach the final," Russian former president posts over World Cup

Following the decision of four teams to advance to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev wrote on the Telegram communication app: "It is preferable that the enemy does not advance to the final. Of the four teams that reached the semi-finals, France and Croatia are considered "unfriendly countries" and have indicated that they will not support them.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine, reacted to the sanctions imposed on Ukraine and in March designated 48 countries and regions, including Japan and Western countries, as "unfriendly countries." It also included measures to repay foreign debts to unfriendly countries in their own currency, the ruble.

There were 32 teams competing in the World Cup in Qatar, about half of whom were unfriendly nations. Of the four teams that lost in the quarter-finals, the Netherlands, England (Great Britain) and Portugal were among the unfriendly nations.

The last edition of the Football World Cup was held in Russia in 2018. Russia was originally scheduled to advance to the European qualifying play-offs in Qatar, but was denied a place in the play-offs due to the invasion of Ukraine.