By Hritika Sharma
DOHA (Reuters) – Youssef En-Nesyri’s towering header late in the first half gave first-time quarter-finalists Morocco a 1-0 lead over Portugal at halftime on Saturday.
En-Nesyri, who had twice headed over the crossbar earlier, leapt higher than both Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa and defender Ruben Dias to put Morocco ahead in the 42nd minute.
Portugal forward Joao Felix came close to opening the scoring on two occasions, forcing Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou into an early save before his strike in the 31st minute took a deflection and narrowly missed the target.
The winner of the match will face either France or England, who play later on Saturday night, in the semi-final.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
