FIFA World Cup: Morocco create history with yet another fairytale triumph as Cristiano Ronaldo's dream ends in tears

“It is a Moroccan marvel! The Atlas Lions now just one more prowling step from the World Cup final itself. The Arab World Unites. The African continent believes. It’s standard bearer continues to conjure with the barely believable.” Veteran commentator Peter Drury weaved magic with words once again and summed up the emotion felt across the continent of Africa as well as across the Arab world after Morocco pulled off their latest heist in what is turning out to be a generation-defining FIFA World Cup campaign in Qatar, defeating Portugal 1-0. FIFA World Cup:  Fixtures  |  Results  |  Points Table  |  Squads  |  Records Morocco took the world by surprise by finishing on top of their group after holding 2018 runners-up Croatia to a goalless draw and blanking Roberto Martinez’s Belgium 2-0 before finishing top of their group by beating Canada. They pulled off an even bigger giant-killing act in the Round of 16 by knocking 2010 champions Spain out, holding their nerve in a tense penalty shootout. Not many would have expected Morocco to advance from a group containing sides such as Croatia and Belgium and dark horses Canada, let alone advance to the quarters and beyond.And yet here they are, becoming the first African/Arab team featuring in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup after beating 2016 Euro champions Portugal. In the process, they denied Cristiano Ronaldo the chance to retire from the sport with the coveted golden trophy in his hand in what surely was his final appearance in the premier global event. Triumph of Moroccan belief Youssef En-Nesyri, who had scored in the 2-1 win over Canada during the group stage, proved to be the hero for the Atlas Lions in one of Moroccan football’s most memorable nights as his 42nd minute header put Walid Regragui’s men ahead, giving them the lead that they would successfully hold on to till the very end. The Sevilla striker leapt high in the air, putting in the kind of jump that modern-day superstar Ronaldo continues to pull off on a regular basis, meeting Yahya Attiyat-Allah’s cross and and guiding the ball past Diogo Costa, who decided to rush forward in an attempt to reach out to the ball and ended up exposing the net behind him.

Youssef En-Nesyri: Rocketman 🚀🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/EHuCnFFqEf

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 10, 2022

The Moroccans, though, had suffered a number of setbacks ahead of the game, with West Ham centre-back Nayef Aguerd and Bayern Munich full-back Noussair Mazraoui both getting ruled out of the quarter-final with injuries. What’s more, centre-back and captain Romain Saiss had to be stretchered off early in the second half after suffering a nasty knock. The heart of the Moroccan defence that had ensured the team had kept a clean sheet in seven of their last eight outings — the only goal coming during this period an own goal in the group match against Canada — had been eliminated and Portugal would have more than fancied their chances of equalising, or even finding the winner in the remainder of the game. This Moroccan team, however, is made of something else entirely and they showed that in the manner in which they kept one attack after another out of harm’s way, ensuring the dream that had been denied 12 years ago to Ghana by a deliberate Luis Suarez foul would be fulfilled in front of a partisan crowd at the Al Thumama Stadium. Coach Regragui would later compare his team to Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa, the affable protagonist of the popular Hollywood boxing film series who defined the role of a sporting underdog that overcame all the obstacles in his way to emerge triumphant in the end. “When you watch Rocky, you want to support Rocky Balboa because of his hard work and commitment and I think we’re the Rocky Balboa of this World Cup. We’re becoming the team that everyone loves at this World Cup, because we’re showing that even if you don’t have as much talent, if you show that desire, heart and belief, you can achieve. “I’m sure many of you will say this is a miracle, but we’ve won without conceding against Belgium, Spain, Portugal and that’s the result of hard work,” former Morocco defender Regragui said after the game. A heartbreaking end to Ronaldo’s hopes The extension of Morocco’s fairytale run, however, would leave one of the most celebrated heroes of the sport heartbroken as Ronaldo’s hopes of ending his long wait for a World Cup triumph would end in a tearful walk back through the tunnel. Ronaldo had been going through a turbulent time with a host of off-field issues ahead of the tournament, and would’ve hoped to put his recent feud with Manchester United and its current manager Erik ten Hag behind with a strong display in Qatar. Unfortunately for the Portuguese forward, who equalled the record for most international appearances (196) after being introduced by coach Fernando Santos in the second half, Ronaldo simply couldn’t find the finish despite a couple of opportunities coming his way, including a low shot that was safely collected by Moroccan custodian Yassine Bounou. The absence of some key defenders had only made the Sevilla keeper’s job harder, and yet he managed to deflect or collect some sharp chances, including a header from Joao Felix early in the game and another sharp chance later in the second half off a Ronaldo assist. Pepe, who like Ronaldo is also likely making his final World Cup appearance would have one last opportunity to equalise late into stoppage time, only for the 39-year-old Brazil-born defender to spray it wide, making it amply clear that is simply wasn’t Portugal’s day.

It hurts me to see Ronaldo like this man 💔 https://t.co/MbRGnTcRO2

— WolfRMFC (@WolfRMFC) December 10, 2022

Ronaldo can walk back with his head held high for a glittering senior career spanning two decades with his cabinet burgeoning with trophies won with several top-tier clubs including Real Madrid and Manchester United along with two Euro finals for Portugal, one of which ended in triumph six years ago. Unfortunately for the icon, the World Cup dream will remain just that, a dream. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.