On Wednesday, the planet's football championship continues in Russia, and the first match of the day was played in Group B. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his fourth goal, which was enough for Portugal to defeat Morocco 1-0 and eliminate them from further competition in the next stage of the World Cup. Meanwhile, Portugal themselves will still need to avoid losing in their final match against the Iranian national team. The first goal didn't take long to come - just over four minutes after a Portuguese corner kick, Morocco players gave Cristiano Ronaldo the space to take a shot, and he did not waste the opportunity, scoring a header into the top corner to put his team ahead. This was already Ronaldo's fourth goal in the tournament, making him once again the leading scorer in the tournament. A few minutes later, Ronaldo took another dangerous shot, but this time his shot flew wide of the opponents' goal. Soon after, the Moroccans had their chances, but both Mehdi Benatia and his teammates' shots didn't trouble Rui Patricio. Portugal had their chance to score after more than half an hour of play. The opponents committed a foul near their penalty area, but Ronaldo's shot hit the Moroccan wall. In the 39th minute, Portugal's star player set up Goncalo Guedes but his shot was saved by Munir. After the first half, Portugal led 1-0. In the second half, the Moroccans tried harder to attack. Patricio saved Belhanda's shot in the 55th minute, and soon after, he had to work harder to save another headed shot. Fortunately for the Portuguese, the goalkeeper was exceptional again. After an hour of play, Benatia had a chance to score, but his shot went wide. After this episode, Portugal clearly retreated to defend their lead, while the opponents unsuccessfully tried to break their defense. However, the Portuguese also struggled to create something dangerous in the opponents' half for some time. In the 83rd minute, Ronaldo had another chance for a dangerous shot, but once again he failed to breach the opponent's defense. In the remaining time, Morocco threw all their players forward, but they could not successfully score and had to say goodbye to their hopes of continuing in the tournament. Victory for Portugal thanks to another goal from Cristiano Ronaldo!
Key stats:
- Morocco are the first team to be eliminated from the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
- 26 of the 43 World Cup goals have now come from a set-piece situation: 60% (8 penalty, 7 corner, 10 free-kick, 1 throw in).
The Man of the Match for Portugal vs. Morocco is Cristiano Ronaldo!
Luxurious Cristiano Ronaldo CR7 underwear for men! Free delivery until July 31 with code "CR7SUMMER". Buy here.
