Morocco upset Spain with penalty kicks, reach FIFA WC quarters for first time
Achraf Hakimi struck the decisive penalty to send Spain crashing out and Morocco into the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time, winning 3-0 in a shoot-out on Tuesday after a 0-0 draw.
Achraf Hakimi struck the decisive penalty to send Spain crashing out and Morocco into the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time, winning 3-0 in a shoot-out on Tuesday after a 0-0 draw.
Spain coach Luis Enrique had claimed his players prepared by taking 1,000 penalties as homework but Pablo Sarabia, Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets all missed from the spot and Madrid-born Hakimi dinked his home to the delight of Morocco’s raucous support, AFP reported.
Morocco reach the Quarter-Finals for the first time. #FIFAWorldCup | #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/Z6uVjyLmWz
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 6, 2022
Walid Regragui’s side will face Portugal in what is uncharted territory for them, with their previous best a last-16 exit in 1986.
Portugal meets Morocco
The Quarter-Finals are set #FIFAWorldCup #Qatar2022
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 6, 2022
Spain had been hoping they could repeat their 2010 World Cup triumph after reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2020, where they were also beaten on penalties by Italy.
The teams were closely matched through a nail-biting clash, with Spain having more of the ball but Morocco creating the better openings, few though they were.
Luis Enrique trialled his third right-back of the tournament in Marcos Llorente, and benched the team’s top scorer Alvaro Morata for Marco Asensio, after the shock defeat by Japan.
Spain monopolised the ball, with Morocco’s fans furiously whistling with their side out of possession.
Morocco, who are the last African and Arab side left standing at the first World Cup held in an Arab country, were intensely backed and their fans greatly outnumbered Spain’s.
After the victory, Moroccan players waved the flag of Palestine in solidarity with the oppressed Palestinian Muslims. Spain’s historic defeat to a relatively small team like Morocco in the knockout stages of the World Cup became a topic of discussion on social media and Morocco became a top trend on Twitter.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated Morocco on its historic victory in the FIFA World Cup.
Morocco – what a finish !!!
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) December 6, 2022
