Bono The Hero As Morocco Wins Spain On Penalties So, Spain is eliminated from the World Cup after losing to Morocco on penalties, 3-0, in the round of 16, after 120 minutes of play ended goalless for both teams.
With Marcos Llorente at right-back, Luis Enrique’s team had 70% of the first-half possession but produced few chances in an otherwise uninteresting 45 minutes. Gavi struck the crossbar after a defensive error, but an offside flag was raised, and Marcos Asensio fired a shot into the side netting, but for the most part, the North African team played solid defense.
Bono The Hero As Morocco Wins Spain On Penalties To eliminate Spain
When Nayef Aguerd, who was not marked, shot over the bar from close range, Morocco should have taken the lead. Much of the same erratic play continued in the second half, which led to the introduction of Alvaro Morata and Carlos Soler around the hour mark and the introduction of Abde Ezzalzouli for the Atlas Lions. However, it ended without a goal as Morata wastefully headed over a Soler freekick in the dying seconds.
Walid Cheddira missed two excellent scoring opportunities in extra time. After the striker took too long to shoot, Aymeric Laporte returned to steal the ball. A few minutes later, the striker fired directly at Unai Simon.
Despite being mainly wasteful in the final third, Enrique’s team had a chance to win it when Pablo Sarabia’s volley from a tight angle hit the post in the final seconds.
Sarabia missed the post in the shootout, while Yassine Bounou stopped Soler’s feeble attempt and Sergio Busquets’ penalty kick.
Achraf Hakimi, a Madrid native, scored on his penalty kick to advance Morocco to the quarterfinals while furthering Spain’s shootout woes.
The Talking Point
Spain fails to take note of lessons from recent competitions. This team has a lot of scoring potential; during the Euros last year, they defeated Costa Rica by seven goals and Slovakia and Croatia by five. But in spite of that, they chose to try to outplay Morocco, lacking directness in both set pieces and open play.
Additionally, starting Asensio as a center forward instead of the effective Morata backfired. Spanish teams have now lost on penalties in three straight tournaments.
Player Of The Match
Moroccan Sofyan Amrabat of Fiorentina prevailed in the midfield because of his toughness, defensive prowess, and work rate. He ran nonstop for 120 minutes while also establishing strong connections with the offensive players.
:focal(1133x554:1135x552)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2022/12/06/3504046-71428088-2560-1440.jpg "Bono The Hero As Morocco Wins Spain On Penalties To Reach Quarter-Final For The First Time In Their History")
