#Morocco – #Spain – Played on 12/06/ 2022
The Moroccan national team achieved a historic victory over Spain, on penalties, this evening, Tuesday, at the price of the Qatar 2022 World Cup final, and decided to pass through to the quarter-finals.
The Moroccan national team will meet in the quarter-finals, the winner of tonight’s confrontation between Portugal and Switzerland.
The match started quietly from both sides before the referee awarded a direct free kick to Morocco on the edge of the penalty area. Hakimi rushed to implement it and hit the top of the horizontal bar in the 11th minute.
Marco Asensio received a ball deep in Morocco’s defense, kicked off, and hit a ball that hit the outside net of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou in the 26th minute.
And Naseer Mazraoui, the Moroccan national team player, sent a missile shot from outside the penalty area, which was saved by goalkeeper Unai Simon Ali twice in the 33rd minute.
Sufian Boufar sent a cross from the left side, which reached Nayef Akrad, who hit a header that passed by the left post of the Spanish goal in the 42nd minute.
The first half ended in a goalless draw.
At the start of the second half, the referee awarded a direct free kick to Spain, which was executed by Dani Olmo with a powerful shot, which was blocked by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou in the 54th minute.
Dani Olmo, the Spanish national team player, hit a ball on the edge of the penalty area, but it passed away from Bono’s goal in the 78th minute.
Substitute Neco Williams set off on the right side and sent a cross to Alvaro Morata inside the penalty area, but defender Nayef Akrad intervened at the right time and cleared the ball in the 79th minute.
Alvaro Morata received a through ball inside the penalty area, to kick off and hit a ball that passed by the right post of Yassin Bono’s goal in the 81st minute.
Nayef Akrad, the Moroccan defender, complained of a muscle injury, and he was unable to complete the match, so Walid Rekragui, coach of the Atlas Lions, had to replace him with Jawad Al-Yamiq in the 84th minute.
The original time ended in a goalless draw, so the extra runs were resorted to.
Walid Shadela missed the most dangerous opportunity for Morocco to score the goal of progress in the 103rd minute when he received a through pass from his colleague Onahi to separate goalkeeper Onai Simon, who blocked the ball with his foot.
The extra rounds ended in a goalless draw, and the penalty shoot-out was decided, as goalkeeper Yassin Bounou excelled in blocking the Spaniards’ kicks, and the Atlas Lions won (3-0).
