Morocco v Portugal, 10 December 2022

Kick-off: 6.00pm local (3.00pm GMT) . FIFA world ranking: Morocco 22 Portugal 9 . Morocco became the first African nation to reach a Semi-final of the World Cup. . The three African nations to previously reach a Quarter-final of the World Cup were Cameroon (2-3 versus in Naples in 1990), Senegal (0-1 versus Turkey in Osaka in 2002) and Ghana (lost on penalties versus Uruguay in Johannesburg in 2010). . African nations had won two of the 11 previous knockout games at the World Cup against teams from Europe; Senegal against Sweden in the Round of 16 in Ōita in 2002 and Morocco against Spain in the previous round of this tournament. . Morocco had now kept a clean sheet in four of their five games at this tournament; the most by an African nation in an edition of the World Cup finals. . Morocco had now equalled Nigeria’s record of an African nation keeping a clean sheet in seven games at the World Cup finals. . Morocco were now unbeaten in their last six games at the World Cup finals (won three); their longest-ever such run at the tournaments. . Youssef En Nesyri became the first player to score three goals at the World Cup for Morocco; Abderrazad Khairi (1986), Salaheddine Bassir (1998) and Abdeljalil Hadda (1998) had scored two goals each. . Portugal won both of their two previous Quarter-finals at the World Cup; 5-3 v Korea DPR in Liverpool (Everton FC) in 1966 and on penalties against England in Gelsenkirchen in 2006. . Portugal scored 12 goals at this World Cup tournament; they had only scored more in an edition of the World Cup in 1966 in England (17). . Cristiano Ronaldo failed in his attempt to equal Eusebio’s national record of scoring nine goals for Portugal at World Cup tournaments. . Both previous meetings were group games at the World Cup; Morocco won 3-1 in Guadalajara in 1986 and Portugal won 1-0 in Moscow in 2018. .