Against all odds, Portugal’s opponent in the quarter-finals is Morocco, the team that, by beating Spain on penalties on Tuesday, qualified for the quarter-finals of a football World Cup – the most they had reached before Qatar 2022 the eighth (curiously at the expense of Portugal) in five participations (1970, 1986, 1994, 1998 and 2018). It should be remembered that in the group stage, the Africans took first place, beat Belgium and Canada and drew with Croatia.
The biggest star of the Moroccan team, which has 14 players born abroad, is Achraf Hakimi, 24, the PSG right-back, who has previously represented clubs such as Real Madrid, B. Dortmund and Inter Milan. The other highlights are midfielder Hakim Ziyech, from Chelsea, goalkeeper Yassine Bono, who represents Sevilla, and defender Noussair Mazraoui, from Bayern Munich. Most of the 26 squad play in European championships. Incidentally, only three players play in the Moroccan league, all in WAC Casablanca. The selection’s greatest sporting achievement was the African Cup of Nations, won in 1976.
The coach is Hoalid Regragui, 47 years old, who took over the squad three months before the World Cup and replaced Vahid Halilhodzic, responsible for qualifying the Africans. Regragui won the Moroccan Football League for the WAC in the 2021-22 season, as well as the African Champions League.
The history of confrontations between Portugal and Morocco is short: only two matches, and both in World Cups. The first time the two teams met was in Mexico’s 1986 group stage, in a match that ended in a 3-1 victory for the Africans, with goals from Abderrazad Khairi (2) and Krimau. Diamantino scored for Portugal. The victory allowed the Africans to be present in the Round of 16 of a World Cup for the first time.
32 years later, they met again in a World Cup, this time in Russia 2018. The Moroccans were again in the same group as Portugal, but this time the national team won the game 1-0, with a goal from Ronaldo in the 4th minute .
The difference in market value between the two selections is huge. According to the TransferMarkt portal, the African team is valued at 241.10 million euros (Portugal is worth 937 million). The most valuable players are Achraf Hakimi (65M), Noussair Mazraoui (25M) and Nayef Aguerd (25M). invoice
Source: DN
