Yassine Bounou stopped three Spain penalties after making just one save over 120 minutes of Morocco’s 0-0 (3-0 pens) win in the World Cup Round of 16 on Tuesday at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan.
Achraf Hakimi sealed the penalties when he joined Abdelhamid Sabiri and Hakim Ziyech in converting his chance -- Unai Simon did stop Badr Banoune’s attempt -- and Morocco sealed a place in the quarterfinals versus the winner of Portugal vs Switzerland. The Atlas Lions are the first World Cup quarterfinalist since Ghana beat the United States in the 2010 Round of 16.
WATCH MOROCCO v SPAIN FULL MATCH REPLAY
Morocco has been a pleasant surprise at this tournament, winning Group F in unbeaten fashion. They have a talented core and their relatively new head coach Walid Regragui has done a superb job to knit them together as a unit. They have been so tough to break down.
Luis Enrique’s Spain started the World Cup in stunning fashion with that 7-0 win against Costa Rica but their performances in a draw against Germany and a defeat against Japan left a lot to be desired. The Group E runners-up will lament letting 77 percent possession and a 13-6 shot advantage go for naught as Sergio Busquets, Carlos Soler, and Pablo Sarabia were all saved by Sevilla backstop Bounou.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Stars of the show
Rodri
Noussair Mazraoui
Unai Simon
Romain Saiss
Jordi Alba
Sofiane Boufal
It went 120 mins, but Rodri completed over 200 passes in one game. Somewhere, Pep got another set of wings. pic.twitter.com/wYSKImsvph
— Nicholas Mendola (@NicholasMendola) December 6, 2022
Unai Simon save video
🔥 ¡UNAI SIMOOOOOOON! 🔥
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) December 6, 2022
🧤 El guardameta español se está convirtiendo el héroe de @SEFutbol #MAR 0-0 #ESP#MundialTelemundo #ElMundialLoEsTodo #MARvsESP #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/2Jt8cH9I9c
How to watch Morocco vs Spain live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 10am ET - Tuesday, December 6 Stadium: Education City Stadium, Al RayyanTV channels en Español: TelemundoStreaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Key storylines, players to watch closely
Morocco’s stars have shone at this World Cup with Hakim Ziyech so dangerous in attack, plus Achraf Hakimi exceptional at right back, while Sofyan Amrabat has been a rock in central midfield and Romain Saiss has led by example in defense. The main thing to love about this Morocco side is their unity and they are so tough to play against and are very well-organized. But when they get the chance to get on the ball, they are direct and their wide players come to life quickly.
Spain’s talents are well known as Gavi and Pedri run the show in midfield but Enrique needs more from his attackers. Morata has finished off chances well so far but the likes of Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, Marco Asensio and Ansu Fati need to kick on if Spain are going to make a deep run in this tournament.
Morocco quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 22
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 6
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CAF
Coach: Walid Regragui
Key players: Achraf Hakimi, Yassine Bounou, Youssef En-Nesyri, Romain Saiss, Hakim Ziyech
At the 2022 World Cup - Won Group F with 7 points from 9 (+3 GD)
Spain quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 7
World Cup titles: 1 (2010)
World Cup appearances: 16
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (1st place)
Coach: Luis Enrique
Key players: Rodri, Pedri, Pau Torres, Jordi Alba
At the 2022 World Cup - Finished second in Group E with 4 points (+6 GD)
