Morocco beat fancied Portugal 1-0 on Saturday to become the first African team in World Cup history to reach the semifinals.
Having never previously been in contention for football’s biggest prize, Morocco had seen off Belgium and Spain this time before packing off Portugal, thanks to a first-half header from Youssef En-Nesyri.
Morocco’s storybook run has seen millions of Arabs, Muslims and North Africans coalesce behind a single team in a way this tournament has not seen before.
In the semifinal, they will meet France, who beat England 2-1. Fans who had hoped for a Messi-Ronaldo final will be left disappointed.
While Argentina are in the semifinals, Portugal’s elimination ended the World Cup career of 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo.
After the final whistle, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was seen crying as he walked off the field and into the tunnel.