Key events
Grant Wahl: There was dreadful news in the wake of the match between Argentina and the Netherlands last night, when it was revealed that the well known American soccer – he always called it soccer – journalist Grant Wahl took ill during extra time and was later pronounced dead in hospital despite frantic attempts to revive him in the press box at the Lusail Stadium. He had just turned 49.
The subsequent flood of tributes on social media and elsewhere have shown just how highly regarded and revered Grant was as a sports journalist and a man. Our condolences go out to his wife Celine, his family and his many friends and colleagues.
Those teams: In big but largely unsurprising news, Cristiano Ronaldo is once again on the bench for Portugal, with his manager Fernando Santos making just one change to the side that thrashed Switzerland. Ruben Neves comes in to midfield for William Carvalho.
Morocco manager Walid Regragui makes two changes. Jawad Yamiq and Yahya Attiat-Allah are in for the injured Nayef Aguerd and Noussair Mazraoui, who don’t even feature on the bench. Romain Saiss starts, despite pulling up lame towards the end of his team’s win over Spain.
Table of Contents
Morocco v Portugal starting line-ups
Morocco: Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, , Jawad Yamiq, Romain Saiss, Yahya Attiat-Allah, Sofyan Amrabat, Selim Amallah, Azzedine Ounahi, Hakim Ziyech, Soufiane Boufal, Youssef En-Nesyri.
Portugal: Diogo Costa, Diogo Dalot, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Raphael Guerreiro, Bruno Fernandes, Otavio, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix, Goncalo Ramos, Ruben Neves
Today’s match officials
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Referee: Facundo Tello
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Assistant referees: Ezequiel Brailovsky and Gabriel Chade
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Fourth official: Ivan Barton
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Video Assistant Referee: Mauro Vigliano
Early team news
Having appeared to do his hamstring quite a serious mischief in the closing stages of their win over Spain, Morocco defender Romain Saiss gamely played on through to the pain and is due to be assessed ahead of today’s match. Having come off with a groin injury during the Spain game, Saiss’s fellow defender Nayef Aguerd looks likely to miss out this afternoon.
Portugal left-back Nuno Mendes has already been ruled out for the rest of the tournament, while the word on the street is that his PSG team-mate Danilo Pereira is also on his way back to the French capital nursing the three broken ribs he suffered in training ahead of Portugal’s second group game against Uruguay.
World Cup quarter-final: Morocco v Portugal
In uncharted waters contesting their first ever quarter-final, the tournament’s surprise package Morocco take on Portugal with a place in the last four at stake. Having conceded just one goal – a slightly freakish own goal against Canada – in their past eight games, Walid Regragui’s side have proved a surprisingly obdurate proposition but today face a Portugal team that went goal crazy in their last game as they hit Switzerland for six.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped for that rout and had to look on from the touchline as his replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick. He is likely to among the substitutes again today and for all the chuntering about his malign influence on Portugal’s squad will be a potent weapon for Fernando Santos to have in reserve should the European side find themselves in need of a late goal. Kick-off at Al Thumana is at 3pm but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.