Morocco's Atlas Lions defeated Portugal in the quarterfinals to go to the 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinals as the first African nation.
Following multiple difficult and unsuccessful tries by the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, Terenga Lions of Senegal, and the Black Stars of Ghana in 1990, 2002, and 2010 respectively, this victory gives Morocco the first African nation to ever advance to the World Cup semifinals.
Youssef En Nesyri's goal in the 42nd minute gave Morocco, the only African team competing in the 2022 World Cup, the lead.
In a close encounter between the two sides, the outcome was decided by the goalkeepers present on the field after Diogo Costa made a mistake after failing to deal with Attiat-cross Allah's and En Nesyri scored.
On the other side, Morocco's goalkeeper Bono was outstanding in the second half as he produced two outstanding stops to prevent Joao Felix from adding to their advantage after the opening 45 minutes.
Rafael Leao and Cristiano Ronaldo were introduced as two rapid substitutions by Portugal boss Fernando Santos early in the second half as they looked for an equalizer.
When Ronaldo and Leao entered the game, Portugal's offence gained some bite, but Bono was always there to prevent Morocco from losing its competitive edge.
Walid Cheddira's dismissal from the game in the 93rd minute for receiving two yellow cards gave Portugal a slight edge, but Morocco held onto their lead until the very end.
Pepe had Portugal's best opportunity to tie the score in the second half, but his header missed the goal, and Morocco went on to win the match when referee Facundo Tello declared the match over.
In the current round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Morocco has only allowed one goal—an own goal—and will play the winner of the match between England and France in the semifinals.