VIDEO: Hakimi, Bounou Decisive As Morocco Storms World Cup Q’Final

Morocco has defeated former champion Spain on penalties in the Round of 16 and now advances to the World Cup Q’ final for the first time.

The last African team in the World Cup of 2022 played outstanding defense the entire game and had two excellent chances to win it in overtime, with Walid Cheddira coming close on both occasions.

However, it didn’t matter because Spain missed their first three penalty attempts in the shootout, allowing Achraf Hakimi to coolly score the game-winning goal with a daring Panenka chip and advance his team to Saturday’s third round against Portugal or Switzerland.

The game’s trend was clear from the opening whistle, with Spain controlling possession but struggling to get past a well-organized Moroccan backline.

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Even though the offside flag was up, Luis Enrique’s team controlled nearly 70% of the ball in the opening 45 minutes but couldn’t get any closer than Marco Asensio’s shot into the side netting. Gavi and Ferran Torres were both denied by spectacular blocks at the same time.

Noussair Mazraoui’s fierce long-range shot sting Unai Simon’s hands, and Nayef Aguerd, unmarked at the far post, headed over a golden opportunity made possible by Sofiane Boufal’s deception. It was clear that Morocco’s gameplan was to absorb pressure and try to hit the Spanish on the break.

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The same pattern persisted into the second half, with Alvaro Morata firing a shot across the face of goal shortly after his arrival, while Yassine Bounou of Morocco made a fine reaction save on free kicks from Dani Olmo at either end of the half.

The African team’s outstanding defending at the other end turned out to be crucial. Morocco had the two best chances of the first period of extra time, with Cheddira first being stopped by Aymeric Laporte’s challenge and then the right leg of Simon.

After Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets had their shots blocked by Bounou, Pablo Sarabia struck the post with Spain’s first attempt in the shootout. This gave Hakimi, a Madrid native, the opportunity to score the game-winning penalty with a Panenka strike.