Spain! Not in Quarter Finals Again! Morocco Takes the Lead in Penalties

Morocco stunned Spain with an impressive performance in the penalties (3-0) by Yassine Bounou. The former will play their first-ever quarter-final against Portugal who defeated Switzerland 6-1 on the scoreboard.

The fantastic form of Yassine Bounou led Morocco to a 3-0 victory against Spain in penalties in FIFA World Cup 2022. While both teams had their chances in the match, it ended in a 0-0 draw even in the extra time. Players like Alvaro Morata and Walid Cheddira missed plenty of chances during this “Round of 16” encounter between Spain and Morocco.

In the penalty shootout, Sarabia missed the first attempt for Spain. For the next two attempts by Busquets and Soler, goalkeeper Bounou blocked them successfully. On the other side, Achraf Hakimi kicked a panenka and sealed the quarterfinal spot for Morocco.

When the match started, Spain dominated the first half by keeping the ball possession but failed to breach the Moroccan defence. Even after 75% possession and around 800 passes, the 2010 champions couldn’t find a breakthrough. During the extra time, the Moroccan side created dominance by pairing one-on-ones but the scores stayed level, leading the game to the penalty shootout stage.

It was Morocco’s first but Spain’s fifth shootout at the World Cup finals. However, Moroccan goalkeeper Bounou saved the day for his team. This followed a panenka from the defender Achraf Hakimi who sealed the victory. And the result went in the favour of Morocco with 3-0 in penalties.

Now, the winners will be meeting Portugal in the quarter-final match of the FIFA World Cup 2022. Portugal sealed their quarter-final spot by defeating Switzerland 6-1 later in the last “Round of 16” encounter.

For the second time in a row and fourth overall, Spain got knocked out on penalties in the World Cup.

While speaking to Bein Sports, Morocco’s coach Walid Regragui said, “We fought and made the Moroccan people happy, we made history and Morocco deserve it, Moroccan people made us united on the pitch.”