Morocco makes history as the first African nation to reach world cup semi final

Morocco became the fiest African nation to reach World Cup semi-finals by beating Portugal 1-0 on Saturday.

Youssef En-Nesyri scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute to continue Morocco’s improbable run that has generated an outpouring of pride in the Arab world during the first World Cup to be staged in the Middle East.

The 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, one of football’s greatest players, didn’t start for the second straight game but came on as a substitute in the 51st minute.

Morocco will play either France or England in the semi-finals.

It is a seminal moment in World Cup history, with an African nation finally advancing to the levels typically only reached by European or South American teams.

Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) all reached the quarter-finals but got no further.