Match Day 7

The Match: Portugal defeated Morocco 1-0 on a Cristiano Ronaldo goal in the 4th minute

The Venue: O’Keefe’s Bar and Grill

The Vibe: Lonely

---

A man sat at the bar at 9:15 am with his fingers pressed together, his palms tented over his nose and mouth. Imploring.

Maybe he was from Morocco. Or maybe he just bet on them. He sat stoic, moving only to gesture in disgust at each giveaway or to nervously stir the milk in his coffee.

By 9:30, Morocco was 20 minutes away from crashing out of the tournament, undone by an own goal in the 95′ against Iran and a surprise goal off Ronaldo’s head in the 4′ against Portugal.

For the other 178 or so minutes, Morocco was the better, or at least the comparable, team.

And now the only meaning left in their tournament is a chance to spoil the summer for their colonizers. Get some teeny, hollow revenge for Ceuta and Melilla.

But that guy still had to go to work today.