Match Preview: Portugal VS Morocco

Goncalo Ramos scored a hattrick for Portugal
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The quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup start tomorrow. However, Portugal will face Morocco on December 10 at Al Thumama Stadium. Portugal outplayed Switzerland by a 6-1 margin in the round of 16 without their biggest star, Cristiano Ronaldo. Before that, Portugal became the champion of Group H.

On the other hand, Morocco are living in their dream. They are having a fantastic time in the Qatar World Cup. Morocco were at the top of the table in Group F, with seven points. Moreover, they defeated Spain in a thrilling penalty shootout to qualify for the quarterfinals.

Stats and Facts

Portugal faced Morocco two times in the FIFA World Cup. It will be their third meeting in the World Cup. However, Morocco won the first game, but Portugal defeated Morocco in 2018.

However, African teams don’t have strong records against European teams. A total of 11 matches have been played in the FIFA World Cup between African and European teams. However, the European teams won nine games, while Senegal (an African team) won the remaining two.

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Ronaldo Issue

There has been controversy about Cristiano Ronaldo for the last few months. Following his interview with Pierre Morgans, Manchester United terminated his contract by a mutual agreement. However, this time an issue has been made between Ronaldo and Portugal.

Portugal boss Fernando Santos substituted Cristiano Ronaldo in the second half against South Korea, which made Ronaldo unhappy. The manager said he was disappointed by Ronaldo’s behavior after the match against South Korea.

Moreover, Fernando Santos benched Cristiano Ronaldo in their last match in the Qatar World Cup, where they smashed Switzerland. Benching a star like Cristiano Ronaldo has made many rumors. But Today, The Portugal Football Association released a statement about the issue. They stated, “Reports claiming Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to leave the national team during a conversation with Fernando Santos are not true. FPF clarifies that at no time did Cristiano threaten to leave the national team in Qatar.”

Furthermore, Ronaldo also denied all the rumors around him. On his official Instagram account, Ronaldo wrote, “This group is too united to be broken by external force. A nation is too brave to be intimidated by any adversary.”