The fate of the Portuguese national team following their first World Cup finals: Gonalo Ramos, Miroslav Klose and France

The Portuguese team looked like it was going to play to its potential as it thrashed Switzerland 6-1, in the way of more history.

The Moroccans have the meanest defense at the competition, conceding only a single own goal so far. The only country that has conceded less shots than the Atlas Lions is Argentina, who played Croatia and Spain along with Belgium in the last eight.

When teams do get shots off, they have to contend with Yassine “Bono” Bounou. The keeper has not conceded a goal in the over 300 minutes of football that he has been on the field.

There were several injuries to important players in its previous match against Spain and a long fixture list which included some of the world’s top ranked teams. But that will not dampen the team’s spirit or ambition.

When asked about making a run deep into the tournament, head coach Regragui said, “At some point in Africa, we have to be ambitious and why not win the World Cup?”

In order to realize the team’s potential, Santos made the most difficult decision of his career, and that was dropping the nation’s greatest ever player. Despite his glittering career and a title as the greatest goalscorer international football has ever seen (118 goals in 194 caps), there are signs that age is finally catching up with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

It was only a matter of time before another athlete took his place on the national team, and that was exactly what happened with Gonalo Ramos.

Portugal dominated the Swiss thanks to the three goals scored by the 21-year-old. The last player to score a hat-trick on his World Cup full debut was Miroslav Klose, who is now the competition’s all-time record scorer.

A number of players, including Ramos, have been set free due to the absence of another player. The player who was seen as the heir to the throne was at his creative best and it looked like he would be Joo Félix.

The last time the teams met was in the group stage of the World Cup, a contest in which the Portuguese player scored the only goal of the game.

The biggest match of the round is left for last as world champion France, looking to become the first country in 60 years to retain the World Cup, takes on an England team on the verge of reaching only its third semifinal.

Despite both sides featuring some of the world’s best players, eyes inevitably turn to Kylian Mbappé. The PSG forward has been nothing short of sensational this tournament. He has scored five goals in just three starts so far, already surpassing his total from 2018.

France is in a better position to make the difference than England, according to their coach. “We have other players, but Kylian is Kylian and he can make the difference.”

Behind the front three is Atlético man Antoine Griezmann, who after a difficult few seasons, looks back to being the player who took both Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup by storm.

Despite the excellent performances of Harry Maguire and John Stones in the heart of the English defense so far, they have not been tested by anything close to this attack at a major tournament.

The trio are the top scorers in the country. They have won two in a row and are coming into this match with more depth than their opponents who have been ravaged by injuries.

Jordan Henderson has returned to the starting lineup with excellent results despite not being a starter, while Marcus Rashford has three goals despite not being a starter. The captain scored the opener and has added balance to the team.

The only goal in the game was scored in the 42nd minute when a ball by Tunisia’s Yahya Attiat-Allah bounced in front of the Portugal goal and was headed past the keeper. The first Moroccan to score at two World Cups is En Nesyri.

Thousands of fans crammed into the Fan Fest to watch the game on an outdoor big screen. They cheered every move, every shot, every time Morocco’s players touched the ball. As the game ended, Tarig Saad was gleeful. He is from Sudan and lives in Saudi Arabia. He drove ten hours to get to Doha.

“Being an Arab I’m very proud. Saad said that they love football. African players are on top European rosters. We are as skillful as individuals. We can do anything.”