The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
🌟 #FIFAWorldCup 2022
✳ TODAY – Quarterfinals
⚽ Morocco vs Portugal
⚽ England vs France
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Atlas Lions, the Morocco national football team this evening takes on Portugal in the quarter-finals of the ongoing FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at Al-Thumama Stadium in the South of Doha. The Moroccans will not only be playing for their nation, but they are keeping the aspirations of the entire African continent of having a team in the World Cup semifinals alive, as no African nation has ever advanced past the World Cup’s last eight.
Morocco is the only surviving team out of the five African representatives. Ghana, Cameroon, and Tunisia were eliminated before the knockout stages while Senegal was eliminated by England in the round of sixteen. Fans across the continent were already ecstatic when Morocco became the fourth team from Africa to qualify for the World Cup quarterfinals after Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002, and Ghana in 2010.
It has taken twelve years for Africa to field a team in the quarterfinals once more. Morocco enters the game after a dominant performance in this year’s tournament, where they defied the odds to lead Group F with seven points after defeating Belgium and Canada and drawing with Croatia. They went on to eliminate Spain in the knockout round.
The Atlas Lions defeated Spain in a surprising shootout in, which Spain failed to convert a single penalty. Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who plays for Seville in Spain, saved two of the three penalties, while the third Spanish penalty struck the post.
Prior to Tuesday’s game, Morocco’s greatest World Cup finish had been a place in the last 16 in 1986. The Atlas Lions also boast of their near-perfect defense. The team has only conceded one goal in the competition, which came in their group-stage victory over Canada.
They now face Portugal, which defeated Switzerland 6-1 on Tuesday without having to start with their top player Cristiano Ronaldo. Portugal also has a plethora of creative talent playing in Europe’s top clubs, such as Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and many others.
The two teams have met twice in the World Cup, once in 1986 in Mexico, when Morocco defeated Portugal 3-1 in the group stages, and again in 2018 in Russia, where Portugal defeated Morocco 1-0. Morocco will become the first African side to reach a World Cup semi-final if they win. The winner between Portugal and Morocco will take on either England or France in the semifinal.
Several Ugandans, just like the rest of Africa are rallying support for the Atlas Lions. Many of the fans that URN spoke to said they will be glued to their screen later today to catch a glimpse of the action as their favorite team takes on Portugal, which is one of the tournament’s favorites.
“I supported Morocco from the group stages. I liked their style in their first game against Croatia, and since then I have been a regular supporter whenever they have a fixture”, one Morocco fan Hussein Katumba told URN ahead of the game.
Vian Basalirwa, another fan told URN that he fancies Morocco’s defense, which he thinks is key to their performance. His only wish is to see them advance to the semifinals.
Hashi Ismail, another fan told URN that being the only African team in the quarterfinals has given him a chance to support his “own” at this stage compared to the last two editions of the tournament where no African team reached at least the quarter-finals.
🇲🇦 Morocco 🆚 Portugal 🇵🇹
🏟 Al Thumama Stadium
🏆 #FIFAWorldCup quarter-final
🕒 15:00 GMTCan the Atlas Lions write history and become the first ever African semifinalists? 🦁 @EnMaroc pic.twitter.com/zmdvE0yv3k
— CAF (@CAF_Online) December 10, 2022
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