MOROCCO BECOMES FIRST AFRICAN SIDE TO ENTER FIFA WORLD CUP SEMIFINAL AFTER PORTUGAL WIN

Morocco defeated Portugal 1-0 on Saturday at the Al Thumama Stadium to become the first African nation to advance to the semifinal of the FIFA World Cup.

When Youssef En-Nesyri outjumped Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa to poke the ball in, he gave Morocco the crucial first-half goal.

The Moroccan team defeated Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002), and Ghana (2010) to advance to the semifinals of the world’s biggest football competition.

Morocco, led by manager Walid Regragui, has only allowed one goal in the World Cup—an own goal—and has been rock-solid defensively.

Morocco defeated 2018 semifinalist Belgium 2-0 in the group stage and matched Spain throughout the round of 16 before defeating its neighbor.

Its victory over the reigning World Cup winner was also the first by an African nation following a World Cup penalty shootout.