Doha: Thanks to an En Neysri header and a relentless defending play, Morocco heads towards a semi-final of the World Cup. The Atlas Lions defeated the Portuguese 1-0 to become the first Arab or African team to reach a FIFA World Cup semi-finals.
The Moroccans qualified from Group F as the group leaders ahead of Croatia and Belgium. The world said they had no chance but the strong might led them to the Round of 16. After a goalless play, Morocco edged out 2010 champions Spain in the Pre-Quarters. Yassine Bounou‘s antics at the penalty shoot-out gave Morocco a chance to fight again. After the upset against the Portuguese, Morocco stands an opportunity to enter the finals.
Also, Read about why Mason Mount has a tattoo of a ship on his arm here
UEFA and CONMEBOL rules the FIFA World Cup. No team outside these confederations has ever lifted the World Cup. Among the 21 past World Cups, 9 have been won by CONMEBOL teams while UEFA has won 12 World Cups. In the last 20 years, just one CONMEBOL team has lifted the cup.
Non- UEFA or CONMEBOL teams who have reached the Semi-Finals of the FIFA World Cup
The first-ever non-UEFA or CONMEBOL team to reach the semi-finals is the USA. In the 1930 FIFA World Cup, the USMNT reached the semifinals. The Stars and Stripes qualified for the knockouts by defeating Belgium and drawing Paraguay to top the group. The group toppers eventually went to the semi-finals. There was no R16 or R8. In the semi-finals, eventual runners-up Argentina defeated USMNT by 6 goals to reach the finals.
It took 72 years for a non-UEFA or CONMEBOL team to qualify for the finals. The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the first-ever World Cup hosted by an Asian country. Mounted on the host country status, South Korea poised into the SFs. After topping the group ahead of USA, Portugal, and Poland, South Koreans met Italy in the Round of Sixteen. The Koreans upset the Azzurri in the R16 and subsequently defeated Spain in the Quarter Finals. They went down to the eventual runners-up Germany.
Are we seeing a pattern here? Does this mean France is not retaining the FIFA World Cup?
The World Cup is a mystery. Small teams coming from behind, taking down the champions. Also, big teams fail to reach the target, To become the One.
Thank you for reading it. Leave us a comment if you liked it.
Do follow us on: Google News | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | LinkedIn
Have a good day ahead 🙂
