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Sep 23Morocco stunned Spain on penalties after an excrutiatingly tense goalless draw to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time, and the Atlas Lions will meet Portugal on Saturday at 3pm after they thrashed Switzerland 6-1, with Goncalo Ramos taking Cristiano Ronaldo's place in the team and scoring an astonishing hat-trick on a memorable night for Fernando Santos' men.
Here's how both games unfolded...
The day’s results
Morocco 0-0 Spain (AET, 3-0 pens)
Portugal 6-1 Switzerland
Match summaries
Morocco 0-0 Spain
Morocco reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the very first time as they stunned Spain, with Achraf Hakimi producing the perfect panenka to win the penalty shootout.
In a match where Walid Regragui's side enjoyed just 23% possession and had their backs to the wall for much of the game - despite weirdly having more shots on target - Pablo Sarabia saw his volley hit the far post in the dying moments.
Sarabia then also proceeded to hit a post in shootout, while Morocco goalkeeper Bono superbly saved Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets' efforts from 12 yards to leave Hakimi with the chance to cement his hero status back home, doing so in the coolest fashion.
It was a contest defined largely by La Roja dominating the ball but lacking a cutting edge as Luis Enrique's men registered only two shots on target across the 120 minutes.
Morocco meanwhile defended doggedly, with star centre-back Nayef Aguerd needing to be withdrawn late in normal time with a groin issue having put in an extremely assured display.
Bono ensured the game went to an extra 30 minutes as he palmed Dani Olmo's free-kick away from danger, and after Sarabia - who substituted substitute Nico Williams - struck the woodwork with a cushioned volley from close range, the second shootout of the tournament ensued.
Spain had a reassuring stat on their side: the last seven World Cup shootouts had been won by the team taking their kicks second.
However, that streak ended here. Abdelhamid Sabiri stepped up to put his country ahead before Sarabia, brought on for this moment, failed to convert, with Hakim Ziyech making it 2-0 and Soler being denied brilliantly.
Badr Benoun ensured it wouldn't be plain sailing as his weak effort was kept out by Simon, but Busquets couldn't halve the deficit as his pre-penalty wink came back to haunt him, Bono getting down brilliantly to his right.
It was down to Hakimi to produce the ballsiest of panenkas and do a celebratory dance as his team-mates converged on him. What a win for Morocco. What a win for Africa.
Portugal 6-1 Switzerland
Cristiano Ronaldo's replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a sensational hat-trick on his first World Cup start - the first player to do that since Miroslav Klose in 2002 - as Portugal laid down a marker against Switzerland and booked a quarter-final on Saturday with Morocco.
The big news before kick-off was the dropping of Ronaldo to the bench after the 37-year-old's tetchy reaction to being substitution in the defeat to South Korea.
Fernando Santos elected to play Ramos down the middle and inside 18 minutes, the Benfica striker produced a moment of brilliance, receiving Joao Felix's pass in the box before swivelling to evade Fabian Schar and blasting past a stunned Yann Sommer at his near post.
On 33 minutes, Santos' men doubled their advantage, with the only man older than Ronaldo in the squad getting the goal.
After Schar had flicked a tempting Felix cross behind for a corner with Ramos lurking, Bruno Fernandes hung up an inviting delivery and 39-year-old Pepe powered home.
Ramos was close to making it 3-0 as Fernandes threaded an exquisite through-ball to him, but the youngster was denied by a stretching Yann Sommer.
The Portugal attacks continued unabated after the break and with Ronaldo warming up on the sidelines, Ramos found the back of the net again, positioned perfectly in the box to squeeze the ball through Sommer's legs from Diogo Dalot's driven cross.
Switzerland didn't have time to catch their breath before the Navigators, as Portugal are sometimes known, sumptuously carved their way through their beleaguered opponents' backline once more.
Otavio's cheeky backheel released Felix, who streaked clear and fed Ramos to square for the advancing Guerreiro to thump home for a goal reminiscent of Brazil's devastating counterattacking the previous evening.
To Switzerland's credit, they refused to allow their heads to drop and Xherdan Shaqiri's corner glanced off Joao Cancelo's head into the path of Manchester City team-mate Manuel Akanji, who bundled home.
The four-goal lead was quickly restored however, and in poetic fashion, as Costa's lump upfield was headed on by Fernandes to Bernando Silva, who laid the ball off for Felix to slip in Ramos, with the heir to Ronaldo's throne majestically dinking over Sommer.
Ramos was duly replaced in a slew of changes as Ronaldo - whose named the Portugal fans had earlier been chanting defeaningly - entered the fray, and while Embolo's overhead kick flashed wide, the game was well and truly over, if it hadn't been before.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner had the ball in the net in the closing stages - only to be flagged offside - before Rafael Leao danced down the wing and left Sommer rooted to the spot with a bewitching curling effort into the far corner.
But despite brilliant displays all over the field in green and maroon, the night belonged to Ramos, who is surely a shoo-in to be his team's talisman for the rest of the tournament, however long that is.
Goal of the day
Raphael Guerreiro - Portugal
Goncalo Ramos' first and third goals were magnificent, but sandwiched in between those strikes, Portugal's fourth was something else.
Otavio's backheel released Joao Felix at top speed upfield and he fed Ramos, who laid off for the arriving Guerreiro to thump home. Superb.
Save of the day
Yann Sommer - Switzerland
He may have had a torrid evening, but Sommer is one of international football's more consistent keepers and could hardly be blamed for any of the six goals he conceded tonight.
The Borussia Monchengladbach stopper denied Ramos with a fine outstretched save shortly before the break - even if that was to be his only bit of joy against Portugal's new striking sensation.
Player of the day
Goncalo Ramos - Portugal
An obvious choice, but the only choice, despite the brilliance of Felix.
The pressure was on Ramos' shoulders to deliver having been favoured over Ronaldo, but the Benfica youngster didn't look fazed one bit, rifling home inside 20 minutes and showing deft movement to then make it 3-0.
The composure which he showed throughout his first World Cup start came to the fore for his third - and Portugal's fifth - as he dinked over Sommer to guarantee that he leads the line for the rest of the tournament.
Magic moments
- Walid Regragui has become the first African coach to reach the World Cup quarter-finals - and by beating Spain to boot. Momentous.
- Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick on his first World Cup start - the first player to do that since Miroslav Klose.
Quote of the day
ITV Sport pundit Ian Wright half-jokes about Cristiano Ronaldo's possible contribution during this World Cup:
"If he just gets it all right in his head... he can score the winner in the final!"
Image of the day
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Upcoming fixtures
Friday 9 December:
Round of 16
Croatia vs Brazil - 3pm KO
Netherlands vs Argentina - 7pm KO
