Morocco upsets Portugal to become 1st African nation to reach World Cup semis

Morocco became the first African nation to advance to the semifinals of the World Cup on Saturday, extending its record-breaking run in Qatar with a 1-0 upset win over Portugal.

Youssef En-Nesyri leapt high to head home in the 42nd minute at Al Thumama Stadium, and thanks to some resolute defending from its battle-weary back four and heroic goalkeeping from Yassine Bounou, Morocco held on to secure the historic result.

It will face France next in the semifinals on Wednesday.

Morocco outfoxed several European heavyweights to make the final four. It held fellow semifinalist Croatia to a goalless draw in its opening match of the group stage before beating No. 2-ranked Belgium, eliminating Spain in the round of 16, and setting up another do-or-die matchup against Portugal.

Without injured full-back Noussair Mazraoui or center-back Nayef Aguerd, Moroccan head coach Walid Regragui had no choice but to tweak the back line that stood tall in previous matches. But his banged-up troupe showed the same steely determination that produced clean sheets in three of its last four matches, collapsing into a back five whenever Portugal advanced with the ball.

Even still, Morocco proved itself capable in attack, and a goal arrived in the most unexpected fashion. Minutes before the interval, Yahia Attiyat Allah fired a hanging cross that drew Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa off his line, and when he missed the ball, En-Nesyri was there to head it in.

Portugal immediately responded, with Bruno Fernandes flighting a volley that crashed off the crossbar in the second minute of added time. At the start of the second half, Goncalo Ramos, who scored a hat-trick against Switzerland in the previous round, nodded an uncontested header wide of the post, and as Portugal pushed for an equalizer, Morocco showed signs of wear. Romain Saiss, the national team's captain and defensive lynchpin, came off injured in the second half. Several defenders went down with cramps. Time and again, the North Africans looked to midfield dynamo Sofyan Amrabat to get them out of trouble, relying on his cool and calm figure to keep the ball under duress and pass out from the back.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who started on the bench for a second consecutive match, came on in the 51st minute to try to change the dynamic. But it was Bonou's time to shine. The shot-stopper stretched to his right to deny Joao Felix's curling effort in the 82nd minute, and after the referee awarded eight minutes of stoppage time, Bonou denied Ronaldo's attempt on the run.

When defender Pepe's header somehow missed the target in the 97th minute, Portugal knew it had blown its final chance. Ronaldo departed his fifth and likely final World Cup in tears, and the tens of thousands of Moroccans in attendance championed a new set of heroes.