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Morocco Takes Africa To World Cup Semi-Final

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3 years ago

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Morocco
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Morocco Become First African Side To Reach World Cup Semi-Final

 

Morocco became the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals as Youssef En-Nesyri’s first-half goal sealed a tense 1-0 victory over Portugal on Saturday at Al Thumama Stadium.

The Atlas Lions, also the first Arab team to make the last four, added Portugal to their list of European scalps with a resolute second-half performance.

Cristiano Ronaldo has likely played his last World Cup match after making an ineffectual appearance as a second-half substitute, failing to score his first knockout-phase goal at the tournament.

Morocco took a 42nd-minute lead through En-Nesyri’s header as they came on strongly late in the first period.

Portugal piled on the pressure after the break but an injury-hit Morocco, without three of their four first-choice defenders once skipper Romain Saiss was forced off, hung on despite being reduced to 10 men in added time.

The partisan crowd undoubtedly helped the North Africans over the line, although Portugal struggled to create many clear-cut chances as they lost a World Cup quarter-final for the first time.

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo was sent on early in the second half by coach Fernando Santos but could not rescue the Euro 2016 winners.

Instead it was another famous day for Morocco, after previous upset wins over Belgium and Spain, on penalties, in Qatar.

Walid Regragui’s men will face England or holders France in the semi-finals at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday.

Morocco will believe they can topple either of those sides, having still only conceded once at this World Cup.

Portugal enjoyed the majority of possession in the opening half-hour, but Joao Felix’s fifth-minute diving header, saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, was the closest either side came to an early goal.

Morocco always looked dangerous, though, and Selim Amallah ballooned a shot over and Sofiane Boufal curled straight at Diogo Costa for the Africans.

It was no surprise when Morocco did forge ahead shortly before the interval.

Portuguese goalkeeper Costa came for a cross from left-back Yahya Attiat-Allah he was never going to get to and Sevilla striker En-Nesyri did the rest with a towering header.

Portugal almost equalised seconds later in spectacular fashion when Bruno Fernandes crashed a bouncing ball from the right-hand side of the box against the crossbar.

A crazy few minutes before half-time also saw Attiat-Allah, only playing in place of the injured Noussair Mazraoui, blaze wide after another rapid counter.

Portugal’s players were still appealing for a penalty after Fernandes threw himself to the ground under pressure from Achraf Hakimi at the other end.

Morocco almost doubled their advantage four minutes after the restart as Costa just about managed to prevent Hakim Ziyech’s free-kick from the right from flying all the way in.

Santos wasted little time in summoning for his captain, sending on Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo in the 51st minute.

Morocco, already without injured defenders Mazraoui and Nayef Aguerd, were dealt another blow when Saiss was stretchered off.

Portugal started to lay siege to the opposition goal and Fernandes came close to levelling again when he fired narrowly over from the edge of the box.

Morocco was largely keeping Portugal at bay, but Bounou had to be at his best to tip over Felix’s drive with eight minutes remaining.

Eight minutes of injury time were largely spent with Portugal camped in the Morocco half and Ronaldo almost had his moment when his low strike was kept out by Bounou.

Morocco substitute Walid Cheddira was harshly sent off for a second yellow card in the space of two minutes.

Zakaria Aboukhlal should have put the game to bed only to dink straight at Costa when clean through.

But his team somehow held onto their lead to write their names in the history books as Pepe headed wide from close range right at the death.

 

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Messi Hits Historic 900th Goal but Inter Miami Crash Out of Champions Cup

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2 days ago

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March 19, 2026

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Lionel Messi
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Lionel Messi reached yet another extraordinary milestone on Thursday night, netting the 900th goal of his illustrious career during Inter Miami CF’s 1-1 draw against Nashville SC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The 38-year-old icon becomes just the second player in football history to reach the landmark, joining his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the exclusive 900-goal club.

Messi’s milestone goal came in the seventh minute, as he fired a low, powerful strike past the Nashville defence, igniting early celebrations among the home supporters. The goal also marked a remarkable 21-year journey since his first senior strike for FC Barcelona in 2005.

Since moving to Inter Miami in 2023, Messi has scored 81 goals for the club, adding to his staggering career tally, which includes 672 goals for Barcelona, 32 for Paris Saint-Germain, and 115 for the Argentina national team.

However, the historic achievement was overshadowed by disappointment for Inter Miami. Nashville SC found an equaliser in the 74th minute, and the match ended 1-1. With the first leg having finished goalless, the tie was decided on away goals, leading to Miami’s elimination from the competition.

Despite the team’s exit, the night will be remembered for another defining chapter in Messi’s legendary career—one that further cements his place among football’s greatest ever players.

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CAF Awards Morocco 2025 AFCON Title After Overturning Final Result

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3 days ago

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March 17, 2026

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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially overturned the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, stripping Senegal of their 1-0 victory and awarding a 3-0 win to Morocco.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the CAF Appeal Committee ruled that Senegal forfeited the final in accordance with Article 84 of the competition’s regulations. As a result, Morocco’s national team, the Atlas Lions, have been declared champions of the tournament.

“The CAF Appeal Board decided that… the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match… with the result recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF),” the statement read.

The decision also addressed disciplinary issues arising from the match, including sanctions involving Moroccan midfielder Ismael Saibari and other incidents. However, CAF upheld the forfeiture ruling, confirming Morocco as the new holders of the continental title.

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FIFA Confirms DR Congo for Inter-Confederation Play-Off, Super Eagles Miss Out on 2026 World Cup

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2 weeks ago

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March 5, 2026

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Super Eagles of Nigeria
Super Eagles of Nigeria
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Nigeria’s hopes of featuring at the 2026 FIFA World Cup have officially been extinguished after FIFA confirmed the Democratic Republic of Congo as Africa’s representative in the upcoming inter-confederation play-off tournament.

In an accreditation notice released to international media on Wednesday, football’s global governing body outlined details of the six-nation play-off competition set to determine the final two qualification slots for the expanded World Cup to be co-hosted by 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

DR Congo Gets the Nod

DR Congo national football team will join five other nations — Bolivia national football team, Iraq national football team, Jamaica national football team, New Caledonia national football team, and Suriname national football team — in the high-stakes mini-tournament scheduled to kick off on March 26.

The confirmation effectively shuts the door on Nigeria’s challenge regarding the outcome of their November 2025 CAF play-off encounter against DR Congo.

Nigeria’s Protest Falls Short

The Nigeria national football team, popularly known as the Super Eagles, had contested their elimination after losing the decisive fixture to DR Congo via penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in regulation time.

Nigeria’s football authorities filed a formal protest, alleging that DR Congo fielded ineligible players during the match. However, FIFA’s latest communication indicates that the complaint did not alter the outcome, with DR Congo officially retained as Africa’s representative in the inter-confederation play-off.

Bitter End to World Cup Dream

For Nigeria, the confirmation represents a painful conclusion to a turbulent qualification campaign. The Super Eagles, three-time African champions and regular World Cup participants in recent decades, will now miss out on the historic first 48-team edition of the tournament.

With the inter-confederation play-off tournament set to determine the final two tickets to North America 2026, attention shifts to DR Congo and the five other contenders battling for a place on football’s biggest stage.

For Nigerian fans, however, the announcement marks the definitive end of the road in their quest for a return to the global showpiece.

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