Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved two of Spain’s three penalty kicks as Morocco pulled off a major upset in the World Cup against the 2010 champions.
Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved two of Spain’s three penalties as Morocco pulled the upset of the 2022 World Cup knockout rounds in a penalty-kick win over the 2010 champions.
Achraf Hakimi calmly chipped the ball down the middle past a diving Unai Simón for the game-clinching penalty. The game went to penalty kicks after the two sides tied 0-0 in regulation and failed to score a goal in extra time.
It’s the first time Morocco has ever made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. The Moroccans will play Saturday against the winner of Tuesday’s match between Portugal and Switzerland.
Bounou, who plays for La Liga side Sevilla, then saved kicks by Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets. Hakimi, who was born and raised in Madrid, kicked fourth for the Moroccans and his goal won the game after Badr Benoun’s kick was saved by Simón.
None of the three Spain players’ penalties appeared to have any sizzle. It was almost like they were simply trying to pass the ball into the net and Bounou clearly realized it.
Morocco has been one of the best stories of the tournament. It won Group F over Croatia and Belgium and has given up just one goal through the first four games of the tournament. And that came on an own-goal against Canada. Morocco has shut out all three of Croatia, Belgium and Spain.
Morocco is also the only country outside of Europe and South America to make the quarterfinals and the first African country to make the quarterfinals of the World Cup when Ghana won in 2010.
