Morocco became the first African country to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup after Youssef En-Nesyri scored a first-half goal to seal a tense 1-0 win over Portugal on Saturday at Al Thumama Stadium. The Atlas Lions, the first Arab team to reach the semi-finals, added Portugal to its European roster with a strong performance in the second half. Cristiano Ronaldo may have played his last World Cup match after making an ineffective appearance as a second-half substitute, failing to score his first goal in the tournament's knockout stage. Morocco took the lead in the 42nd minute with En-Nesyri's header as they came on strong late in the first half. Portugal increased the pressure in the second half, but the injury-plagued Moroccan team, which was without three of its four main defenders after the departure of captain Romain Saiss, held out despite playing with ten players in stoppage time. There is no doubt that the fans helped the North African team get over the goal line, although Portugal struggled to create many clear chances to lose in the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time. Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo was sent on early in the second half by coach Fernando Santos but was unable to rescue the Euro 2016 winners. Instead, it was another famous day for Morocco, following previous shock wins over Belgium and Spain on penalties. Weighting in Qatar. Walid Regragui's men will face England or France, the defending champion, in the semi-finals at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday. Morocco will believe they can topple either of these teams, having only conceded one goal in the World Cup. Portugal had a large majority of possession in the first half-hour, but Joao Felix's header in the fifth minute, which was saved by goalkeeper Yacine Bounou, was the closest thing to an early goal. However, Morocco always looked dangerous, as Slim Amallah fired a shot over the bar and Sofiane Boufal volleyed past Diogo Costa for the Africans.
