Moscow’s Luzhniki will be the venue where a 2pm on Tuesday, Morocco will try to do the impossible and stop Cristiano Ronaldo.
Hattrick Hero 🔥 @Cristiano pic.twitter.com/lc0lNMF2oS
— UEFA_EURO_2020 (@_Euro_2020) June 15, 2018
Morocco came into the tournament in great form and was expected to potentially challenge Spain and Portugal for a place in the knockout rounds. The unfortunate own goal loss to Iran was a huge blow to their ego. The Atlas Lions find themselves in the improbable situation of needing at least a win and a draw against Group B’s favorites Spain and Portugal in order to have a shot at qualification for the next stage.
Cristiano Ronaldo showed his magic touch against the country he calls home for most of the year. His three goals were the only shots Portugal fired on Spain’s goal, yet they were enough earn a draw. His fantastic free kick in the dying moments of the contest stole two points away from the Spaniards and left Portugal in play for first place. The 3-3 draw between the Iberian rivals in Sochi was one of the most interesting games of the 2018 World Cup thus far.
These two have met once before. It happened during the 1986 World Cup and the North Africans actually won 3-1. It was their first ever World Cup win and one of only two in a total of 14 matches spread across five tournaments. They will see hope in that win, but they’ll need much more than hope to get the better off the defending European champions. Center forward Ayoub El Kaabi was invisible against Iran. Not having a reliable striker makes it nearly impossible to win at the top level, even more so against one of the best defensive units there is. Hakim Ziyech was good, but not great, Nordine Amrabbat tried hard, but wasn’t very inventive, while youngster Amine Harit’s inexperience was obvious.
Fernando Santos’ men weren’t great either, yet they never are and still find ways to get results. This time, they were bailed out by their superstar. Goncalo Guedes and Bruno Fernandes weren’t as influential as Santos would’ve wanted. I won’t be surprised if they are left on the bench. Ricardo Quaresma is at the sunset of his career, but he has a connection with Ronaldo and that could be felt as soon as he stepped on the pitch versus Spain. Andre Silva could also start.
All in all, based on what we saw against Iran, Morocco doesn’t have what it takes to challenge Ronaldo and his teammates. Belhanda, El Ahmadi and Boussoufa were too defensive in the match with Iran and simply lack the skills to deal with Portugal’s productive midfield. I expect an effortless win by the Portuguese in which Ronaldo will reaffirm his Golden Boot ambitions.
Prediction
Portugal 3-0 Morocco