For the right to go to the 2022World Cup Semi-Finals in Qatar, Morocco and Portugal will square off on Saturday. The Moroccans, fresh off their stunning victory over Spain, have set their sights on making World Cup history, and Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Portugal are well aware of the danger they offer in their quarterfinal match.
The Atlas Lions are flying on the wings of thefantastic start in Qatar, having already beaten Spain in a penalty shootout and advancing to the round of eight. They also finished first in a tough Group F, ahead of teams like Croatia and Belgium, two European powerhouses. Meanwhile,the Seleção, who had been competent but unspectacular in the Group Stage, let loose without their captain Cristiano Ronaldowith a 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland in the last 16.
There was a widespread belief that Ronaldo’s absence from the squad would allow Portugal to finally reach their full potential since he had been holding them back due to his age and poor shape.Thus,despite the oddsmakers favoring Fernando Santos’ players, this edition of the World Cup has shown us thatanything is possible.
What would happenif Portugal lose to Morocco in theQatar 2022 Quarter-Finals?
Quite simply, ifthe Portuguese national soccer team suffera defeat, they would be knocked out of the tournament in the Quarter-Finals and Morocco would move on to the next round.For the World Cup, the Knockout Round consists of one-game playoffs.
Therefore, there is no opportunity to win the series by taking game two. There is no room for a mistakein this win-or-go-home approach. For Portugal to advance to the Semi-Finals where they wouldface one ofEngland orFrance, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates must win in regular time, after extra time, or triumph ina penalty series.