Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the last to get off the bus. He did so smiling, with a thumbs-up gesture. He greeted the porter at the entrance to sit in his place. Alternate. Also in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup this Saturday against Morocco, Fernando Santos left him on the bench for the second time in a row. In the second half Pepe gave him the captain's armband. He tried but the goal did not come. And he left the green in a sea of tears. The only footballer capable of scoring a goal in five World Cups will never be world champion.
"This is not the time to talk about Pepe or Cristiano Ronaldo. We are sad to be eliminated but we have worked hard and that makes me feel proud”, Pepe explained that he did not hesitate to charge against the arbitration performance of the Argentine Facundo Tello. “It is inadmissible that an Argentine referee whistled at us today after what happened yesterday, with Messi complaining. They started making a lot of fouls, the referee didn't show yellow cards, and they were very close. In the second half we didn't play anything in the second half. And the referee did not see the play that could have been a penalty for Bruno Fernandes", he said in statements to RTP3, visibly upset and assuring that, in view of matches like this "they can already give the title to Argentina".
The Portugal coach, Fernando Santos, lowered the 39-year-old defender's speech. “It is easy to explain what has happened. They have had goal situations. And we have worked a lot and we have also had them but we have not managed to score ”, he pointed out.
The sadness of Portugal contrasted sharply with the joy of Morocco, the first African team to qualify for the semifinals of a World Cup after beating teams like Belgium, Portugal and also Spain. “It has been incredible. Africa has entered the scene. If they told me at the beginning that we were going to reach the semifinals, that we were going to beat Belgium, Spain and Portugal, I would not have believed it. But we have done it with work and sacrifice. In Spain they have said that it was not understood that we could win. Well, they have seen that it is not so easy to beat us”, the Moroccan coach Hoalid Regragui slipped elegantly. Asked about the rival he prefers in the semifinals, the coach did not hesitate. "I love France because it is my second country."
In the field happiness was overwhelming. “I thank my teammates and the public who have helped us a lot. I have told my teammates that we are going to work to win this World Cup”, said En-Nesyri, scorer of the only goal of the match.
Just as important as his goal was Bono's performance under the sticks. Portugal barely had three scoring chances but there was the lock on the Moroccan goal, which has not conceded a single target from any rival in this World Cup. Just one own goal in the group stage against Canada. “It is very difficult to find the words to describe this moment. I don't know what ceiling Morocco can have because we were able to carry out all the games ”, he slipped visibly excited. About his excellent work Bono drew on his well-known humility. “I knew that Portugal would have chances. I always say that the goalkeeper should try to do his job. It's what I've tried. And now it's time to enjoy everything and face what comes with all the illusion in the world ”, he declared. The emotional climax of Morocco was finished by Amrabat. “We have fought with our hearts. For the country, for the people, for the national team... for everyone, ”he declared.
