Morocco stuns Spain in World Cup: Following a scoreless tie, Morocco defeated Spain in a shootout to go to the World Cup quarterfinals, and Achraf Hakimi emerged as the hero.
After 120 minutes of play, the two sides were locked in a stalemate, and Spain failed to score on any of their three penalty kicks, with goalkeeper Yaccine Bounou saving two of them. PSG’s Hakimi then won it with a cool-headed “Panenka,” setting off wild celebrations.
All during the game, the North African team’s supporters shouted their support, although the atmosphere in the stands did not reflect the stalemate on the field.
Few clear-cut opportunities were produced as Morocco sat back and filled in the gaps as Spain hogged the ball.
Dani Olmo’s arrowed shot from the angle that Bounou deflected away was the closest Luis Enrique’s team came to scoring. Later, the goalie again did an outstanding job stopping Olmo’s dangerous free-kick.
Nayef Aguerd, a counterattacking Moroccan player, missed with an unmarked header in the opening period, and Noussair Mazraoui’s long-range shot, which Unai Simon collected, was the only shot on goal for Morocco.
Morocco stuns Spain in World Cup: Penalties
The game entered extra time because the teams could not be separated. Substitute Walid Cheddira had Morocco’s finest opportunity, but he squandered his shot straight at Simon from eight yards out.
Over 1,000 passes were made during the game, and Spain nearly took the lead in the 123rd minute when Pablo Sarabia’s volley agonizingly missed the far post.
Morocco supporters, who predominately filled Education City Stadium, went crazy at the final horn as their team advanced to the round of eight for the first time, where they will take on Portugal on Saturday (15:00 GMT).