Portugal suffered a shocking defeat against Morocco in their quarterfinal clash on Saturday evening, losing the contest 1-0. The match also saw Portugal’s most experienced player Pepe miss a golden chance to equalise in the dying stage of the contest.
Pepe came extremely close from forcing the match into extra time but his header missed the target by a fine margin during the injury time.
Soon after the moment, Morocco defender Jawad El Yamiq was seen kissing Pepe’s bald head, which left the fans speechless. It didn’t take long for the moment to go viral on the internet and fans flooded social media with their reactions while also sharing the video or a photo.
Here are a few reactions:
The contest saw Youssef En-Nesyri hand Portugal a 1-0 advantage right before the halftime interval as he beat a charging Diogo Costa with his head. Cristiano Ronaldo, who was not part of the proceeding until the first half, was then introduced in the match in the final half.
However, apart from one shot on target, Ronaldo couldn’t do much as Morocco’s defense line evaded all threats created by Portugal.
The North African nation, who became the first team from their continent to qualify for the World Cup semifinal, were reduced to ten men in the injury time but Portugal failed to capitalise on the one-man advantage in the dying moments.
Also Read | ‘They can give the title to Argentina now’: Portugal’s Pepe makes explosive ‘Messi’ remark after quarterfinal loss
Morocco, who have been the surprise package of FIFA World Cup 2022, will now meet defending champions France in the semifinals. The 2018 World Cup winner defeated England 2-1in their quarterfinal tie later in the evening.
Morocco have so far conceded just one goal in the tournament, which came in the form of own goal.
They were pooled in Group F alongside Croatia, Belgium and Canada. Croatia is another team, who have reached the final four and will play Argentina to book a place in the summit clash.