Morocco have advanced to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup for the first time, defeating Spain in the penalty shootout after a drab 120 minutes ended scoreless at Education City Stadium.
Though Spain manager Luis Enrique thought otherwise, his charges didn’t deserve to win the game after failing to convert more than three-quarters of possession into anything substantial, before missing all three efforts from the spot.
“We completely dominated the match, it’s a shame it went that way,” said Enrique. “Football is a marvelous, passionate sport, but a team can win without attacking. Morocco attacked once or twice and were dangerous, but we dominated the game completely, and tried to create.”
The contest was fiery from the outset with some agricultural challenges flying in from both sides as Morocco pressed as a team, managing to upset Rodri and Sergio Busquets’ hold on the game.
“We were unable to score…so no matter how much we say that we deserved to win… it is not going to change anything,” Spanish keeper Unai Simon, who saved one penalty, said. “The only thing left for us is to accept that we have been eliminated.”
For the Moroccans, they march on to a quarters clash with Portugal. “We fought and made the Moroccan people happy, we made history and Morocco deserve it, Moroccan people made us united on the pitch,” said coach Walid Regragui.
Early on, Spain were attempting to pass their opponents to death, and “wear them down” as Martin Tyler said in commentary, but Morocco had first dig as PSG defender Achraf Hakimi’s 11th-minute free-kick from 30 metres out sailed harmlessly over the bar.
For Spain, Marco Asensio was played in behind the defence and perhaps should have done better with his shot, hitting the side netting.
Left-back Noussair Mazraoui stung Unai Simon’s palms with a decent effort from distance but the strike was too central to cause any real problems for the Athletic Bilbao gloveman.
As half-time approached, Spain still comfortably led the possession stakes but weren’t able to unlock the Morocco defence and it was their opponents who threatened: after Rodri failed to clear, centre-back Nayef Aguerd should have scored with a free header from just outside the six-yard box.
After the break, the story was much the same, with Morocco more than content to sit deep and allow Spain space in midfield.
After 60 minutes, Enrique eventually went to his bench, bringing on Alvaro Morata and Carlos Soler to add some impetus to the attack, wihile Sofiane Boufal took a knock and had to be replaced by Abde Ezzalzouli for the Atlas Lions.
Morata found himself with half a chance but from an all but impossible angle could only direct his shot across the face of goal.
(Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
The cumulative xG in the 85th minute sat at a pitiful 0.52, showing how little had been created by either side. One goal would surely win it, but nothing emerged and the match continued into extra time.
In the added period, there was a huge change for Walid Cheddira to win it for Morocco after he was expertly played in by the dancing feet of Azzedine Ounahi, but the shot was too close to Simon.
Pablo Sarabia had a half-chance that clipped a post, but otherwise the final 15 minutes of extra time went by without incident.
Sarabia was the first to blink in the shootout as Hakim Ziyech and Abdelhamid Sabiri both scored for Morocco. Soler stepped up, but didn’t look particularly confident and enabled Bounou making the save.
Simon then denied Badr Benoun, however, Sergio Busquets couldn’t convert and it was almost over. Up stepped Hakimi, who ended it with a cheeky dink down the middle as Simon dived to his right.
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