By Biodun Busari

Atlas Lions of Morocco have become the first African country to reach the semi-final of the World Cup after beating Portugal 1-0 on Saturday.

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Youseff En-Nesyri’s header in the 42 minutes of the quarter-final game was the lone goal that eliminated Cristiano Ronaldo’s dream of winning the World Cup trophy in Qatar.

Morocco have surpassed the three other African sides to reach the quarter-finals — Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010.

The game took place at Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, but Ronaldo, five times Ballon d’Or winner, did not start the game. He was brought at 51 minutes for Ruben Neves.