Youssef En-Nesyri will never have to pay for anything in Morocco again after scoring a goal that Cristiano Ronaldo would be proud of. His finish was the difference as Morocco won 1-0, sending Portugal home from Qatar early.
MOROCCO TAKES THE LEAD VS PORTUGAL pic.twitter.com/X9qbiJeCBP
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 10, 2022
Rising like a salmon from a stream, En-Nesyri found the back of the net in spectacular fashion to put Morocco on top just before the half. Yahia Attiyat Allah sent a ball into the box, but with the height, speed and location of the cross, it gave En-Nesyri quite a bit to do.
With Portuguese keeper Diogo Costa and Rúben Dias coming for the ball, the Sevilla forward was very much fighting with one hand tied behind his back. Somehow, he managed to outjump both his defender and Costa and get his head on the ball and steer it on target, into the stranded net. Advantage Morocco.
What a moment
Morocco scores its first ever men's FIFA World Cup goal in the knockout stage pic.twitter.com/hGS7QoE3vV— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 10, 2022
His goal had Ronaldo written all over it. Eerily similar to so many that the 37-year-old has scored and come to be known for. Scored by a man twelve years his younger while he sat on the opposition bench. But even in the high-tension scenario, Ronaldo made his appreciation known with an impressed look.
Ronaldo's reaction after Morocco's goal pic.twitter.com/8fg4pyWp4W
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 10, 2022
The win means Morocco becomes the first African side in history to reach the FIFA World Cup semifinals, just four years on from a tournament that did not feature a single CAF side in the entire knockout round. The Atlas Lions have still not been scored on by an opponent with their lone goal allowed being an own goal against Canada. This is truly the stuff that dreams are made of.
Croatia vs Morocco in the final anyone?
