After eliminating Belgium in the group stage and Spain in the round of 16, Morocco wants to pass the pass of three against the European cadors of the World Cup.
Impressive against Switzerland, the Portuguese hope to temper the ardor of the Atlas Lions.
The match will be played on the lawn of the al-Thumama stadium, which can accommodate 44,000 people.
There was South Korea in 2002, Ukraine in 2006, Ghana in 2010, Costa Rica in 2014, Russia in 2018... This year in Qatar, Morocco is the guest surprise of the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
It must be said that given their career, the Atlas Lions have largely deserved their qualification for the top 8 of the World Cup!
Winners of the Belgian Red Devils in the group stage, the Moroccans made Roberto Martinez resign and sent Eden Hazard to retirement.
Better still, it is the first time that an Arab country has reached this stage of the competition since 1930!
In the round of 16, their victory against Spain (0-0, 3 shots on goal to 0) plunged La
Roja
into a black crisis.
Luis Enrique was dismissed from his post in the process and it was a whole generation of veterans (Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Dani Carvajal, etc.) who said goodbye to the most prestigious of competitions.
On Saturday, Moroccans would see themselves as the executioners of Cristiano Ronaldo, for whom this should be the last World Cup with Portugal.
On what date and on what channel to watch the match Morocco - Portugal?
The Atlas Lions quarter-final will be broadcast on TF1, unencrypted, and on beIN Sports 1, only for subscribers this Saturday, December 10 at 4 p.m.
A Moroccan tidal wave
The least we can say is that it hasn't been good to meet Walid Regragui's men lately.
Still undefeated in the competition, Morocco won all its matches (against Belgium, Canada and Spain) except the first, against Croatia (0-0).
Strong defensively, with first choice full-backs (Achraf Hakimi from PSG and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich), the Atlas Lions don't let anything pass.
Hold on tight, they have conceded just one goal in four games in Qatar and have the best defense of the tournament!
The Spanish coach Luis Enrique was full of praise for his opponents after the defeat of his selection in the round of 16: "
The best Moroccan players? Hakimi, it's obvious, Ziyech too, En-Nesyri we know him very Well, Amrabat, we already know him, he plays very well too"
.
The all-terrain player Azzedine Ounahi (Angers) also amazed the former Barça coach.
Without forgetting Sofiane Boulal, twirling on his left wing.
With so many good technical players, ready to make any sacrifice for their country, Moroccans can believe in it hard as iron!
Especially since his national hero Bounou will keep the goals against the offensive armada of the Portuguese.
Portugal holds its new star
Opposite, the
Seleçao
is also on a little cloud.
After planting 6 goals against the Swiss Sommer in the round of 16 (6-1), we understand why.
With Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench, it was Gonçalo Ramos who shone on the lawn, with a beautiful hat-trick.
The 21-year-old Benfica striker is one of the revelations of this World Cup and arrives in great shape at the best time for his country.
The immortal Pepe behind, Bernardo Silva in the middle and João Felix in front are all strong points of the Portuguese which the Moroccans will have to be wary of.
The 2016 European champion can also count on his charismatic coach Fernando Santos, who has nothing to do with the actions of Cristiano Ronaldo, furious at being put on the floor.
While she has never been crowned world champion, the
Seleçao
dreams of lifting the prestigious gold trophy on December 18.
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