MOROCCO 1-0 PORTUGAL - MATT BARLOW AT THE AL THUMAMA STADIUM: Up went the decibels and up went the barricades as Portugal threw everything they had at Morocco. Up went the tension as goalkeeper Bono made a fine save from Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe headed wide at the back post. Off went Walid Cheddira, sent off in stoppage time as they hung on. They had spent most of the second half camped inside their penalty box repelling wave after wave of Portuguese attack but there was no way through a defence as impenetrable as the Atlas Mountains. They have conceded only conceded once in five games in Qatar, and that was an own goal in a group win against Canada. Here, they defended in numbers and they did it heroically. Keeping Portugal at arm's length during the nail-biting closing stages. Just when it seemed impossible for the incessant din to become any more ear-splitting, the final whistle sounded and the Al Thumama Stadium erupted and Morocco, the first African team to reach the last four of the World Cup, celebrated. Veterans Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe were left devastated, with Youssef En-Nesyri's towering header proving the difference. Pictured: Ronaldo heads down the tunnel after what may be his final World Cup appearance. Inset: He infamously winks after seeing Wayne Rooney sent off during his side's quarter-final win against England in Germany in 2006.
