Cristiano’s fourth minute header was all that separated Portugal and Morocco on the final whistle in Moscow. Portugal top Group B on four points.
Portugal vs Morocco | World Cup 2018 Match Report
Morocco will be bitterly disappointed after their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Portugal, which puts the North Africans out of the running for a place in the second round, following two successive defeats.
Before the game, Moroccan coach Hervé Renard has said that his team would do all they could to make Ronaldo look “less exceptional”. And for the majority of the game, they did just that. But Ronaldo doesn’t need many chances to do something exceptional, and with just four minutes on the clock, the Real Madrid striker scored with a wonderful diving header to put his team ahead — and himself ahead in the race for the Golden Boot. It was his fourth in the competition, and his 85th for his country.
Morocco bow out, but can hold heads high
But it was Morocco who were overall the better side in the game. Renard’s men had a plethora of chances but just could not find a way past Rui Patricio in goal, who made a number of great saves in the second half to keep Morocco off the scoreboard.
It was a heroic display from the Atlas Lions, who kept their fans on the edge of their seats right until the final whistle. They will be disappointed but can leave the Luzhniki stadium with their heads held high. Spain may be a dead rubber fixture for them now, but they will be eager to leave Russia with a win, and judging on today’s performance, they certainly have an outside chance of doing so.
