Morocco vs Portugal Betting Odds & Recap

Highly Anticipated Quarterfinals Matchup

Another day, another upset! Morocco has made history and become the first African team ever to reach the World Cup semi-finals after beating Portugal.

After a tame opening of forty minutes, the game stepped up another level when Youssef En-Nesyri climbed highest in the box. He beat Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the air and headed the ball into the back of the net.

Bruno Fernandes nearly leveled before the break, sending a shot crashing against the bar. However, Yahia Attiyat Allah sent a shot wide of the net after breaking through on goal.

Shortly after the half-time break, Fernando Santos introduced Ronaldo. However, CR7 provided nothing to the attack as Portugal’s free-flowing attack halted. A brilliant moment from Sofiane Boufal opened an opportunity up for Azzedine Ounahi, but he skied his shot.

Portugal created a handful of chances, the best being Joao Felix’s strike in the last 10 minutes, which Yassine Bounou turned over the bar. Morocco substitute Walid Cheddira was sent off for a second yellow card in added time, but his side defended stoutly to go through to the next round. 

📊 Team Stats 📊

MAR MoroccoPOR Portugal
 27%Possession73%
9Total Shots12
3Shots on Target3
6Shots Wide6
0Shots Blocked3
3Saves2
3Corners9
3Yellow Cards1
1Red Cards0
15Fouls9
2Offsides2
71%Pass Accuracy86%
9Dribbles5
6Crosses35
12Tackles12

Did We Get It Right?

Below you will find all the predictions we made before the matchup, on December 07, 2022.

Atlas Lions Keep on Moving

With Cristiano Ronaldo starting on the bench, Portugal cruised to a 6-1 victory over Switzerland on Tuesday. That sets up a quarterfinals meeting with Morocco, who earned their quarterfinals place through 120 minutes of blood, sweat and tears and dreaded penalties. The Atlas Lions managed to pull off yet another upset as Yassine Bounou made two saves in PKs to knock out Spain. That means Morocco are unbeaten at the Qatar 2022 World Cup despite facing powerhouses Spain, Croatia and Belgium. We’ll see if they have what it takes to knock out Portugal as we preview the Morocco vs Portugal Betting Odds.

Morocco vs Portugal

Date, time (TV):
Location: Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar
Streaming: FOX, Telemundo, Peacock

Team Standings and Odds:

TeamFIFA World RankingWorld Cup Qualifying RecordGroup Stage StandingsOdds to Win World Cup
Morocco227-1-0, 1st CAF Group I2-1-0, 1st Group E+2500
Portugal97-2-1, 2nd UEFA Group A2-1, 1st Group H+600

Head-to-Head:

All Meetings:Teams
Jun 1986:Portugal 1-3 Morocco
Jun 2018:Portugal 1-0 Morocco

Portugal and Morocco have only met on two previous occasions. Cristiano Ronaldo fired Portugal to a 1-0 win in the 2018 World Cup in a match that eliminated Morocco from knockout stage contention. Morocco previously defeated Portugal 3-1 in the group stage of the 1986 World Cup. This is the third opportunity to take the Morocco vs Portugal Betting Odds in a FIFA World Cup.

MARMorocco: Sent Spain Packing

Previous Match: 0-0 D vs. Spain (PK win)
Injuries and Suspensions: D Nayef Aguerd (Questionable), F Sofiane Boufal (Day-to-Day)

Morocco are the gift that keeps on giving. The Atlas Lions finished above both Belgium and Croatia in Group E World Cup standings FIFA. All the while, they only conceded one goal in the group stage, which was an own goal. They’ve been resurgent under head coach Walid Regragui and supremely organized. Morocco matched up vs. Spain in the round of 16, which was always going to be a difficult match for them.

The Atlas Lions entered the match as +600 underdogs even as Spain dropped their final group stage match. Morocco looked bright in the first half vs. Spain as their wingers caused problems. At one point, Sofiane Boufal put the moves on Spain right back Marcos Llorente, broke his ankles and skipped through. Hakim Ziyech also had his moments on the right wing. Morocco’s best chance came from an open Nayef Aguerd header but he couldn’t convert.

Even though the match finished scoreless, Morocco had opportunities to go on and win. Spain pressed for a winner towards the end of extra time but Pablo Sarabia could only hit the post. Morocco keeper Yassine Bounou came up huge in penalties with two saves and Morocco scored a famous win. They’re now in their first ever World Cup quarterfinals and they have the potential to keep moving. However, injuries to center back Aguerd and winger Boufal could certainly hurt them. It’s worth keeping an eye on their statuses ahead of Saturday’s match.

PORPortugal: A Star is Born

Previous Match: 6-1 W vs. Switzerland
Injuries and Suspensions: D Danilo Pereira (Questionable), D Nuno Mendes (Out)

Portugal coach Fernando Santos made a bold call to leave Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench in their round of 16 match vs. Switzerland. Ronaldo’s replacement, 21-year old Goncalo Ramos, made his opportunity count and then some. He fired in a powerful left-footed to the near post that Yann Sommer could only watch in the 17th minute of the match. Center back Pepe, 18 years Ramos’s senior, put in a header to go 2–0 up in the 33rd minute. Ramos completed a hat trick in the second half and dished out another assist in Portugal’s dominant 6-1 win.

In just his fourth international appearance, Benfica’s Ramos became just the fourth Portuguese player to score a World Cup hat trick. It’ll be surprising if Santos doesn’t call upon Ramos again for the match vs. Morocco as he’s entered himself into the Golden Boot race. Following Portugal’s easy victory over Switzerland, they now show +600 World Cup odds to go the distance. They’re also in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2006 and have an excellent opportunity to advance. Portugal’s front four were in rare form on Tuesday and they scored six goals for the first time since November 2019.

Attacking depth could become a big factor should Portugal go into extra time vs. Morocco. Ronaldo, Ricardo Horta and Rafael Leao all started on the bench vs. Switzerland but each has at least a goal during the World Cup. Center back Danilo Pereira is unlikely to play again, with cracked ribs, but Pepe is more than capable of filling in. One thing to expect from Portugal is creating chances. They’ve averaged nearly six shots on target per game through their first four matches as Bruno Fernandes has been pulling the strings in the final third.

Match Analysis and Odds:

By advancing over Spain, Morocco became the first African team to make the quarterfinals since Ghana in 2010. They also became the first Arab country to make the quarterfinals and could become the first African nation to make the semifinals should they advance here. The Morocco vs. Portugal betting odds list the Atlas Lions at +200 to qualify. They’re also ½-goal underdogs and come in at +130 odds to cover the spread.

Portugal are expected to get on the scoresheet for a fourth straight match, as their over/under team total is listed as 1½ goals.

Portugal’s moneyline and ATS odds sit at -150 and they have the joint-most goals in the tournament so far, with 12. Breaking down a Morocco defense that has conceded just once in seven games under Walid Regragui could pose a challenge, though. Still, Portugal are expected to get on the scoresheet for a fourth straight match, as their over/under team total is listed as 1½ goals. Both the over and the under currently show -110 odds. Game total unders are 3-1 in Morocco’s World Cup matches so far, while overs are 3-1 in Portugal’s. The over/under total for the match is 2½ and the under is implied to be more likely, at -130 odds.

A third draw in five matches for Morocco comes in at +280 odds. It’ll be interesting to see if Morocco are fatigued after a 120 minute match. Sofiane Boufal and Nayef Aguerd were casualties of Tuesday’s draining contest and are somewhat irreplaceable in the lineup. It’d be a shame if they can’t suit up and make Portugal’s job a fair bit easier. In any case, Morocco sit at +450 odds to win the match in 90 minutes. Meanwhile, Portugal are priced at -300 odds to qualify for their third World Cup semifinals appearance in team history. By this point, it seems wise not to underestimate Morocco.

Morocco vs Portugal FAQ

When is the Morocco vs. Portugal FIFA World Cup quarterfinal?

Morocco take on Portugal in the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday, December 10th at 10:00 a.m. EST.

Is this the first time Morocco are in a World Cup quarterfinal?

Yes, Qatar 2022 marks Morocco’s first appearance in a World Cup quarterfinal and it’s also the first appearance for any Arab nation.

What is Portugal’s all-time head-to-head record vs. Morocco?

Portugal’s record vs. Morocco is 1-1 all-time. Both meetings were in the World Cup and Cristiano Ronaldo scored a 4th minute goal in 2018 to give Portugal a 1-0 win. Morocco managed a 3-1 win in the group stage at Mexico 1986.
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