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Morocco is the only African team that has ever beaten Portugal in a World Cup. Morocco's 3-1 victory was their first ever win in the tournament in 1986. But before you get too excited, consider that Portugal ace Cristiano Ronaldo was just barely learning to walk that year. SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE
Portugal have scored eight goals in their last four matches. Morocco have scored five goals in four matches. Morocco will be desperate to score here against a Portugal team that has a porous defense. Both Teams to Score is our play for this game at 6/5 odds in fact.
Portugal have not lost against a non-European nation at the World Cup since June 2002 (W5, D3). Portugal has been prone to draw of late, and that included their first World Cup matchup against Spain (3-3).
Against Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo became just the fourth player to score in four World Cups, after Uwe Seeler, Pele and Miroslav Klose. But word to the wise, Ronaldo had only scored three goals in 13 World Cup appearances prior to this week’s heroics.
Morocco had 68% possession in their 1-0 defeat to Iran, the most by a losing team in a World Cup match since June 2010.
Since losing to Germany 0-4 in the first round of the 2014 World Cup, Portugal has scored two or more goals in their last three. The two previous games were against the United States and Ghana. It should be noted that Portugal, while scoring in only one 2010 World Cup game (by 7 against North Korea), faced off against the likes of Spain and Brazil that year. They also drew 0-0 with the Ivory Coast.
In more recent matches, Portugal scored 2 or more goals against their last two African opponents (3 vs. Algeria and 2 against Tunisia).
- Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com
