There was also shock, disbelief, more tears and complaints on the part of the defeated Portuguese but their keeper Pepe perhaps summed it up best.
“We conceded a goal which we did not expect,” he said. “(And) they didn’t let us play in the second half.”
Morocco’s progress at the World Cup has been based on fearless, no-nonsense defending and they came into the match with the best defensive record, conceding only once – an own goal in a group stage game against Canada which they still won 2–1. won.
Against Portugal, who were the tournament’s joint top scorers with 12 goals, Morocco always had to do something special to progress, and that’s exactly what they did.
Regargui had lost first-choice center back Nayef Egurd before the match, but replacement Jawad El Yamik was huge alongside captain Romain Saiss, snapping into tackles and making last-ditch blocks as Portugal attacked in waves Was and was stunned at every turn.
Sass put his body on the line to keep his team in the match and was carried off on a stretcher in the 57th minute, while Morocco were also indebted to midfield enforcer Sofiane Amrabat for defending their advantage.
At the other end of the pitch, winger Hakim Ziyech and full-back Yahya Attiyat-Allah provided creative outlets, tearing down the flanks to fend off Portuguese pressure.
make history
The win made Morocco the first African or Arab country to reach the last four of football’s global showpiece, and celebrations followed wildly across the region.
A sea of Moroccan fans turned the Al Thumama Stadium into a cacophony of noise to cheer on their team as Portugal’s players cowered under waves of hostility coming down from the stands.