Was dropping Cristiano Ronaldo from starting XI a mistake for Portugal coach Fernando Santos?

Cristiano Ronaldo, who was used as a second-half substitute, had no impact. With his dream of playing in this World Cup coming to an end, the forward departed the field in tears.

“Cristiano is a great player and he came on when we thought it was necessary. But no, no regrets.” Santos said.

On December 10, Morocco made history by defeating Portugal 1-0 in the World Cup quarterfinal to become the first African country to go to the semifinals.

Portugal players are “distressed”, as per Santos. as quoted by Sky Sports. Ronaldo had come to the field after fifty minutes but could not make a difference and left the pitch teary-eyed as the World Cup dreams of this 37-year-old were broken in pieces.

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Morocco pulled off a stunning shock to eliminate Portugal from the World Cup, maintaining their one-goal advantage at the interval to secure their first-ever spot in the FIFA World Cup semifinals. Youssef En-Nesyri scored the game-winning goal for a tenacious Morocco in the 42nd minute. The forward leaped into the air and headed Attiyat Allah’s cross to give his team the lead that ultimately proved disastrous for Portugal.

Morocco bettered their record against Portugal after the win having won two of their three matches. The loss for Portugal will be very disappointing for Ronaldo who has probably played his last World Cup given his age.

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In order to reach the semi-finals, Morocco overcame challenges and opponents by defeating Croatia, Belgium, Spain, and now Portugal. The Atlas Lions need two more victories to clinch the game. Despite Portugal’s best efforts, Morocco won the knockout match by overcoming exhaustion, an injury, and worry. A great victory was achieved by the group over the European team.

(With ANI inputs)