Youssef En-Nesyri made Morocco the first African semi-finalist in World Cup history with his record-breaking header against Portugal, making him the idol of a nation and nearly an entire continent.
The Sevilla striker flew into the Doha skies to arrive first and make his way home after Diogo Costa misread the cross.
In every regard, En-Nesyri’s jump was momentous. The Moroccan reportedly started from a height of 2.78 meters, according to beIN SPORTS’ Twitter feed.
En-Nesyri’s headed goal at the World Cup surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s header against Sampdoria while at Juventus. Ronaldo’s header is measured just over 2.5 meters.
“We are all happy, with a lot of joy for the victory,” the striker said after the match.
“I thank my teammates and the fans. After not being able to in 2018, I told my teammates that we were going to beat Spain and Portugal.”
A fantastic day for En-Nesyri but not for Cristiano Ronaldo
En-Nesyri, who was not having a fantastic season at Sevilla before the World Cup, has already scored twice in this World Cup, including the most significant goal ever for his nation.
The irony of Ronaldo being on the same field when his headed goal record was broken cannot be overstated.
Fernando Santos started him from the bench once more in favor of Goncalo Ramos, who scored a hat-trick against Switzerland in the round of 16.
Ronaldo entered the game with Portugal down 1-0 after 51 minutes, but he was unable to make a difference and now appears unlikely to ever win the World Cup.
Youssef En-Nesyri Sent Morocco To Semi-Finals
Morocco became the first African nation to go to the World Cup semifinals thanks to En-Nesyri’s goal which also dashed Ronaldo’s aspirations of winning the tournament before his retirement.
Ronaldo entered Portugal Vs Morocco World Cup quarter-final game in the 51st minute. He was not on the field when his record was broken and was unable to significantly alter the outcome when he joined the action.
The Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa missed the cross, which allowed the Moroccan striker to take advantage of it and scored with his head. He did it by leaping into the air between Ruben Dias and Pepe.
After his goal against Canada, En-Nesyri now has two goals in the 2022 World Cup, making him the first Moroccan to score in two World Cups.
En-Nesyri will undoubtedly start when Morocco takes on the defending champions France in the semifinal on Wednesday.
Youssef En-Nesyri
Youssef En-Nesyri, a Moroccan professional football player for Sevilla of La Liga and the Moroccan national team, was born on June 1, 1997. He plays as a striker.
En-Nesyri has played all of his professional football for Málaga, Leganés, and Sevilla in Spain. He has played in more than 150 La Liga games and has over 40 goals.
He had previously been capped by the nation’s youth teams at the under-20 and under-23 levels before he made his international debut in 2016 at the age of 18.
He was selected for Morocco’s teams at the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups as well as the 2017–2019–2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
En-Nesyri, who had previously played for Morocco at the under-20 level, was called up to the main team by manager Hervé Renard on August 22, 2016, for friendlies against So Tomé and Prncipe and Albania. Nine days later, in a 0-0 tie at the Loro Boriçi Stadium in Shkodr, he made his debut against the former.
En-Nesyri scored in the second group game of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, which resulted in a 3-1 victory over Togo.
At the cost of defender Badr Banoun, he was a late addition to the team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He gave the squad a late lead in a 2-2 draw in the final group match against Spain at the Kaliningrad Stadium.
En-Nesyri scored the lone goal in a victory over the Ivory Coast during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt to advance the Atlas Lions to the round of 16.
En-Nesyri was also selected for the Cameroon-hosted 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
He replaced Ayoub El Kaabi in the 65th minute of his first game back after a protracted injury, and in a 2-0 victory over Comoros, he missed a penalty.
In the round of 16, he scored the equalizer in a 2-1 victory over Malawi.
He was included in Morocco’s 23-man roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar on November 10, 2022.
A lone En-Nesyri’s goal on December 10 against Portugal in Morocco’s quarterfinal game made them the first African country to go to the semifinals.
