Youssef En-Nesyri defied the laws of physics to to give Morocco the lead vs Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo was impressed
Morocco have taken the lead against Portugal in this afternoon's World Cup quarter-final thanks to a sensational header from Youssef En-Nesyri.
Walid Regragui's side are halfway to history after a rather drab first half exploded into life with just minutes to go.
After some lovely build-up play on the left-hand side, Yahia Attiyat Allah whipped a cross in, which looked simple enough for Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa to claim.
What he didn't count on was En-Nesyri defying the laws of physics with a leap straight out of Cristiano Ronaldo's playbook.
Advert
The Sevilla striker, who has only scored twice in 27 La Liga appearances, turned his header home after getting above Costa and Ruben Dias to send the Al Thumama Stadium wild.
Cameras then cut to the opposition bench, which included Ronaldo for a second successive game. Even he looked impressed with En-Nesyri's effort.
Morocco have conceded one goal in this tournament, an own goal against Canada in their final group game.
They've managed to frustrate Fernando Santos' side, although Portugal have had a few chances themselves.
"Dare I say Ronaldo-esque!" 👀
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) December 10, 2022
En-Nesyri puts Morocco in the lead right before half-time with this expert leap to beat Portugal keeper Diogo Costa to the ball! 🙌🇲🇦#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/w4ETcKn2LT
Joao Felix had a header saved and saw a shot deflect wide, while Bruno Fernandes hit the bar with a spectacular effort.
Victory for Morocco would see them reach the first World Cup semi-finals for the first time in their history.
Santos made the bold call to leave Ronaldo on the bench once again after his replacement, Goncalo Ramos, scored a hat-trick in Tuesday's 6-1 win over Switzerland.
Earlier this week, Santos revealed the conversation he had with Ronaldo when he told him he'd be dropped to the bench.
He explained: "I spoke to him after lunch on the day of the game and invited him into my office.
"For obvious reasons Cristiano was not very happy about it as he has always been the starting player.
"He told me: 'Do you really think it's a good idea?'
"But we had a normal conversation in which I explained my viewpoints and of course he accepted them. We had a frank and normal conversation."
Topics:Â Portugal, Football World Cup
Daniel Marland