• Portugal took an early 1-0 lead over Morocco on Cristiano Ronaldo’s diving header off a corner.
• Morocco had several scoring opportunities in the first half, but failed to convert any of them.
• Refresh here for live World Cup updates and analysis from Russia.
• Here’s the 2018 World Cup schedule.
How to watch: In the U.S., Fox Sports 1 and Telemundo have the broadcast at 8 a.m. Eastern, but you can stream it here.
57’: Patricio Makes Huge Save
And it’s Morocco again. Leaping save by Patricio on Belhanda. It feels like a goal must be coming at one end or the other.
50’: Rare Miss for Ronaldo
Ronaldo charges in unmarked but launches the ball over the net. Portugal playing better this half.
48’: Portugal Misses Wide
A creative corner for Portugal leads to a header by Jose Fonte, but it goes wide. Same setup as the corner that led to a goal, but this time the target was Fonte instead of Ronaldo, who played decoy.
46’: Morocco Will Keep Pressing
Second half underway. Morocco will keep looking for that equalizer.
Halftime Reading: Russian Doping Lab Now a Gastro Pub
Andrew Keh watched the Russia-Egypt game at the site of the infamous Sochi lab at the center of the Russian doping scandal, which is now a gastro pub with doping-themed cocktails. Read Andrew’s story here.
Halftime: Portugal 1, Morocco 0
An entertaining game. Underdogs are often in bad shape when they fall behind in matches like this. Morocco played about as well as you could ask. They just didn’t quite get a goal. Goof for Morocco: they took seven shots to Portugal’s five, and 50 percent of the possession. Portugal was forced into 17 clearances in the half.
Andrew Das: Morocco had some chances in the half, and Amrabat especially has been persistent trouble for Guerreiro on the right wing. But the Moroccans haven’t taken advantage of the chances they have created, and Ronaldo buried his really good one. And that, I guess, is why Real Madrid pays him all that money.
47’: Morocco Threatens, but Misses
Header by Belhanda goes wide. Morocco still attacking.
41’: Close Call for Morocco
Morocco’s attacking style leaves them a wee bit open at the back, and Ronaldo finds Goncalo Guedes, who forces a one-handed save, then fluffs the rebound. Great save by Mohamedi Munir. That really should have been 2-0.
Andrew Das: Morocco needs a little composure here. They feel very aggrieved by a couple of calls, and they’ve lashed out a couple times. Benatia just got a yellow for persistent infringement — basically, a handful of fouls that added up to one yellow once he rolled Ronaldo at midfield — and they just lost Guedes and had to be bailed out by their goalkeeper. Going into halftime down by 1-0 is not great. Going in down by 2-0 would be worse.
36’: Patricio Keeping Busy
Portugal keeper Rui Patricio catches a lobbed shot and upbraids his defense. He’s working harder than expected.
35’: Not Even Close
El Ahmadi’s speculative shot for Morocco lands in row Z.
33’: Free Kick for Ronaldo
After appealing for a foul on one end, Morocco commits one on the other. Ronaldo stands over a short free kick. Goal No. 5? No, it goes off the wall. End-to-end action right now.
27’: Penalty Appeal for Morocco
Amrabat of Morocco goes down in the box and a big penalty appeal goes up. No call. The Morocco bench wants video review. Still no call. Amrabat lifts his shirt to reveal blood to the viewing audience. No call.
Andrew Das: Both players were holding, Geiger tells a furious Herve Renard at the next stoppage, and the replays confirm. Either way, the contact happened outside the area, so it shouldn’t have been a penalty. Geiger explained as much to the Moroccan players, and then goes to the sideline to talk with Renard about confronting the fourth official.
“Both were holding,” one can discern from amateur lipreading. And he’s right. Guerreiro pulls up his shirt to show a nasty red wound from Boutaib’s hand.
26’: Ronaldo Rolls
Benatia bumps into Ronaldo, and Ronaldo executes the “oh-I’m-injured” barrel roll. Three rotations. He’s fine.
24’: Portugal Looking to Regain Control
Long-range effort by Ziyach of Morocco was saved. Portugal is going to want to get control of the ball a bit more. The thing is, if teams get enough shots and enough chances, the ball eventually goes in. Morocco is getting a lot of chances right now.
Andrew Das: Ronaldo is strolling mostly, or walking in the first half. His economy of movement, and effort, is remarkable. Sometimes he’ll just stand still, watching for a bit, then jog a few steps. But he only runs when he has to run, and those are the moments when everyone edges forward on their seat a little.
20’: Morocco Keeps Shooting
Morocco, as you might expect, is throwing everything at Portugal and it’s working. Ziyech and Boussoufa got close-in shots that drew saves.
12’: Morocco Gets a Look
The chances are coming thick and fast! A header from Benatia of Morocco, the captain, is saved at the corner of the net. Both teams are playing an open and aggressive brand of soccer.
9’: Ronaldo Threatens Again
Nearly two for Ronaldo. He dribbled right, shot left (through a defender’s legs), but it went barely wide. Morocco is in deep trouble here.
GOAL! Portugal Leads 1-0
That was fast. Portugal took a tricky short corner, and Moutinho quickly stepped up to send it into the box. Who should be there to head it in but that man Cristiano Ronaldo? Goal No. 4 for him at this World Cup.
Andrew Das: How do you lose Cristiano Ronaldo on a corner? I mean, c’mon Morocco. Somehow, Manuel Da Costa fell for a stutter step, turned his head, and got beat. Any player at the World Cup buries a free header from six yards. Ronaldo? He lives for them.
3’: Morocco Attacks First
Morocco started fast, whipping the ball downfield. Eventually new striker Boutaib got off a headed shot, which missed wide.
Kickoff!
Portugal in a blinding all-white and Morocco in red with green shorts. Portugal have brought in the skillful midfielder Joao Mario. Three changes for Morocco, including the forward Khalid Boutaib and two new defenders, Dirar and Da Costa.
The Most Popular Man in the Stadium
The Morocco fans are booing every mention of Ronaldo on the stadium loudspeakers and every sight of him on the stadium video screens. They just showed him in the tunnel, and it was the loudest one yet. But the Morocco players themselves seem pleased to see him; hugs all around, including from a smiling Noureddine Amrabat, who plays in La Liga.
Fans Representing
Having two stadiums in Moscow has made the city a bit of a World Cup hub, and the matches here attractive to anyone and everyone. Lots of Portugal and Morocco jerseys and flags outside today, obviously, but also more guys in fezes than you normally see at a soccer game. But it’s the variety of shirts that is really striking. Jerseys spotted outside the stadium from teams not playing include: Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Japan, Germany, Croatia, Australia, Mexico again, and again, Russia, Real Madrid, Leicester CIty (!!!!), F.C. Köln. And then there’s this guy, who may have shown up in his Brazil shirt just to take pictures with pretty girls.
Morocco’s Starting Lineup
12. Mohamedi
2. Achraf Hakimi
4. Manuel da Costa
5. Mehdi Benatia
7. Hakim Ziyech
8. El Ahmadi
10. Younes Belhanda
13. Khalid Boutaïb
14. Moubarak Boussoufa
16. Nordin Amrabat
17. Nabil Dirar
Portugal’s Starting Lineup
1. Rui Patrício
3. Pepe
5. Guerreiro
6. Jose Fonte
7. Cristiano Ronaldo
8. Joao Moutinho
10. Joao Mario
11. Bernardo Silva
14. William Carvalho
17. Goncalo Guedes
21. Cedric Soares
Portugal vs. Morocco Top Story Lines
• Portugal played hands down the most entertaining game of the first round of the World Cup in years, its 3-3 barnburner with Spain.
• As for the team’s superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, ho-hum, he only had a hat trick: a penalty, a shot from open play and a free kick. What might he possibly do against Morocco?
• Morocco’s star, Hakim Ziyech, played well in his opener, but will need to make some magic in this game.
• Ronaldo’s wondergame came a few hours after the news emerged that he had agreed to pay the Spanish authorities $21.8 million in unpaid taxes.
• What The Times said: “Portugal is now best thought of as a nation established in 1128 so that it might one day produce Cristiano Ronaldo.”
• Portugal is the reigning European champion, but it was only eighth favorite for the Cup when the tournament began. Here are the current World Cup odds.
• Morocco dominated its opener against Iran, but was unlucky to lose to a late own goal by Aziz Bouhaddouz.
• What The Times said: “In the end, this poorly played game ended in the most appropriate fashion: with a substitute player putting the ball into the wrong net.”
• Iran are the surprise group leaders with 3 points, but Spain and Portugal still look like the most likely qualifiers with 1 point each. Morocco has a mountain to climb at 0 points with games against Spain and Portugal to come.
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