World Cup Round-Up (Quarter-Finals Day 2) – Morocco Make History as France Knock Out England

11/12/22 852

The World Cup quarter-finals concluded on Saturday, with Morocco and France reaching the last four. Morocco beat Portugal 1-0 to become the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final, while France defeated England 2-1.

As expected, both matches produced thrilling drama from start to finish. With the semi-final line-up set in stone, let’s discuss all the key talking points from Saturday’s quarter-finals – starting with the record-breaking Moroccans.

Morocco Shock Portugal to Break African World Cup Record

Youssef En-Nesyri's 42nd-minute goal saw Morocco become the first African nation in World Cup history to reach the semi-finals. The Sevilla striker headed home just before the break, capitalizing on a mistake by Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

For the second game in a row, Cristiano Ronaldo found himself on the bench. His team-mates produced plenty of goalscoring opportunities, but they ultimately failed to find the back of the net.

Ronaldo came off the bench on 51 minutes and even had a chance to equalise late on, but it wasn’t meant to be. After the final whistle, the 37-year-old left the pitch in tears. Will we see CR7 at another World Cup? Probably not.

However, this game was all about Morocco. The Atlas Lions have yet to taste defeat in Qatar, drawing with Croatia before defeating Belgium, Canada and Spain. Needless to say, Portugal is another huge scalp.

Kane Misses Late Penalty as France Edge Out England

There was a sense that England’s quarter-final clash with France would be a close-fought battle – and that’s exactly what it was. In the end, the reigning World Cup champions moved one step closer to defending their crown.

Aurelien Tchouameni gave Les Blues the lead on 17 minutes, scoring an excellent long-range goal. Nine minutes after half-time, Harry Kane equalised from the penalty spot to give England hope.

Olivier Giroud put France back ahead on 78 minutes. Still, the drama didn't end there. The Three Lions were awarded another penalty late on, but Kane blazed the ball over the crossbar to break English hearts.

Gareth Southgate’s side arguably deserved more from the game, having recorded 16 shots to France’s eight. However, the defending champions held on to advance to the last four once again.

France will now face Morocco in the semi-finals at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday, with Argentina and Croatia going head-to-head in Tuesday’s semi-final.