Morocco made history on Tuesday night as they landed into the World Cup Quarter Finals for the first time after beating Spain in a penalty shootout. The regular and extra times closed on a nil-nil stalemate with the match catching fire only in the last 20 minutes of play.
From the spot, Yassine Bounou kept his cool and saved two shots to become an instant national hero. For Spain, the shootouts were fatal once again as they had bowed out four years ago in a similar fashion.
The match at the Education City Stadium followed the expected pattern as Spain tried to suffocate Morocco with their ball possession as they looked for a chance to open a breach in the defense. However, Walid Regragui’s men showed that they had done their homework as the Atlas Lions left them no space.
The result was a cagey, at times sleep-inducing affair, with Morocco coming even closer to finding the net from a Nayef Aguerd header. The Furia Roja‘s ball possession, on the other hand, only resulted in two free kicks taken by Dani Olmo and both defused by Bonou.
Despite both coaches rotating their offensive options, the match looked bound to end on penalties well before the referee would blow for full time. Spain’s endless strings of passes brought no real outcome, while Morocco started to believe that perhaps putting their chips on the penalty lottery would be a good idea.
However, Morocco surprisingly started to attack during the extra times and produced the best chances of the game. When they reached the final third though, they basically went blank. Bari forward Walid Cheddira in particular, was outrageously wasteful.
The Serie B player went one-on-one with Unai Simon as he was picked by Azzedine Ounahi with a fine filtering pass, but the Spanish goalkeeper kept his cool and saved with his foot.
In the second extra period, he had an ever better chance as he was picked by Sofyan Amrabat with a long range pass after the Fiorentina man had bravely recovered the ball in his defensive third. This time, Cheddira lost the timing and allowed Rodri to block him.
Spain had the last chance as Pablo Sarabia, who was sent in by Luis Enrique ahead of the penalty shootouts, incredibly hit the post with a spectacular volley at the far post from a long range cross powered by Rodri.
And so, it came down to penalties. Bounou was perfect as he denied Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets and forced Sarabia to angle his shot so much that it hit the post. The Atlas Lions made only one mistake, with superstars Hakim Zyiech and Achraf Hakimi converting their attempts. The Moroccan celebration could start.
MATCH SCORECARD
December 6, 2022 – FIFA World Cup Round of 16
MOROCCO – SPAIN 0-0 after extra times 3-0 on penalties
PENALTY SEQUENCE: Sabiri (M) goal, Sarabia (S) post, Ziyech (M) goal, Soler (S) saved, Benoun (M) saved, Busquets (S) saved, Hakimi (M) goal
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MOROCCO (4-3-3): Bounou, Hakimi, Aguerd (84′ El Yamiq), Saiss, Mazraoui (82′ Attiat-Allah); Ounahi (120′ Benoun), Amrabat, Amallah (82′ Cheddira); Ziyech, En Nesyri (82′ Sabiri), Boufal (66′ Ezzalzouli) (El Kajoui, Tagnaouti, Dari, Jabrane, Zarouri, Aboukhlal, El Khannouss, Chair, Hamdallah) Coach: Regragui |
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SPAIN (4-3-3): Unai Simon; Llorente, Laporte, Rodri, Jordi Alba (98′ Balde); Pedri, Busquets, Gavi (63′ Soler); Ferran Torres (75′ Williams, 118′ Sarabia), Asensio (63′ Morata), Olmo (98′ Ansu Fati) (Sanchez,, Raya, Eric Garcia, Pau Torres, Carvajal, Azpilicueta, Koke, Guillamon, Yeremy Pino) Coach: Luis Enrique |
NOTES: Yellow Cards: ; Added Time: 1st Half 2′, 2nd Half 5′, 1st Extra Half 1′, 2nd Extra Half 3′
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