Match report

Portugal Defeats Morocco 1-0 in World Cup 2018 Match

Portugal
Portugal
1–0
FT
Morocco
Morocco
Jun 20, 2018

Portugal secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Morocco in a tightly contested World Cup match, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the lone goal in the 4th minute. The Portuguese held off Morocco's late surge, maintaining their grip on the match through tactical substitutions and defensive resilience.

Key Facts

  • • Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal in the 4th minute with an assist from João Moutinho
  • • Medhi Benatia received a yellow card for Morocco in the 40th minute
  • • Portugal made multiple substitutions, including Bernardo Silva for G. Martins in the 59th minute
  • • Adrien Silva received a yellow card for Portugal in the 90th minute

Lineups

Portugal

Formation: 4-4-2

Starting XI

  • 1 Rui Patrício (G)
  • 3 Pepe (D)
  • 6 José Fonte (D)
  • 21 Cédric Soares (D)
  • 5 Raphaël Guerreiro (D)
  • 8 João Moutinho (M)
  • 14 William Carvalho (M)
  • 10 João Mário (M)
  • 17 Gonçalo Guedes (F)
  • 11 Bernardo Silva (M)
  • 7 Cristiano Ronaldo (F)

Substitutes

  • 18 Gelson Martins
  • 16 Bruno Fernandes
  • 23 Adrien Silva
  • 2 Bruno Alves
  • 4 Manuel Fernandes
  • 9 André Silva
  • 12 Anthony Lopes
  • 13 Rúben Dias
  • 15 Ricardo Pereira
  • 19 Mário Rui
  • 20 Ricardo Quaresma
  • 22 Beto

Morocco

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Starting XI

  • 12 M. Mohamedi (G)
  • 4 M. da Costa (D)
  • 5 M. Benatia (D)
  • 2 A. Hakimi (D)
  • 8 K. El Ahmadi (M)
  • 14 M. Boussoufa (M)
  • 17 N. Dirar (D)
  • 16 N. Amrabat (M)
  • 10 Y. Belhanda (M)
  • 7 H. Ziyech (M)
  • 13 K. Boutaïb (F)

Substitutes

  • 9 A. El Kaabi
  • 23 M. Carcela-González
  • 11 F. Fajr
  • 1 Y. Bounou
  • 3 H. Mendyl
  • 6 R. Saïss
  • 18 A. Harit
  • 19 Y. En-Nesyri
  • 20 A. Bouhaddouz
  • 21 S. Amrabat
  • 22 A. Tagnaouti

Timeline

  1. Portugal
    4' Portugal Goal · Normal Goal
    Cristiano Ronaldo · Assist: João Moutinho
  2. Morocco
    40' Morocco Card · Yellow Card
    Medhi Benatia

    Persistent fouling

  3. Portugal
    59' Portugal subst · Substitution 1
    Off: Bernardo Silva · On: G. Martins
  4. Morocco
    69' Morocco subst · Substitution 1
    Off: K. Boutaïb · On: Ayoub El Kaabi
  5. Portugal
    70' Portugal subst · Substitution 2
    Off: João Mário · On: Bruno Fernandes
  6. Morocco
    75' Morocco subst · Substitution 2
    Off: Y. Belhanda · On: M. Carcela
  7. Morocco
    86' Morocco subst · Substitution 3
    Off: Karim El Ahmadi · On: F. Fajr
  8. Portugal
    89' Portugal subst · Substitution 3
    Off: João Moutinho · On: Adrien Silva
  9. Portugal
    90' Portugal Card · Yellow Card
    Adrien Silva

    Foul

Match Stats

Stat Portugal Morocco
Fouls 19 23
Pass Accuracy 72% 76%
Offsides 1 1
Red Cards — —
Total Shots 10 15
Corners 5 7
Total Passes 396 467
Yellow Cards 1 1
Blocked Shots 4 2
Shots on Target 2 4
Shots off Target 4 9
Possession 45% 55%
Accurate Passes 284 357
Shots Inside Box 4 11
Saves 4 1
Shots Outside Box 6 4

Key Match Notes

  • ▸ The early goal by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 4th minute set the tone for Portugal's controlled performance
  • ▸ Substitution of João Moutinho with Adrien Silva in the 89th minute helped stabilize Portugal's defense against Morocco's late push