BAFL 53.19 Increased By ▲ 3.16 (6.32%)
BIPL 22.90 Increased By ▲ 0.49 (2.19%)
BOP 5.67 Increased By ▲ 0.25 (4.61%)
CNERGY 5.12 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (1.39%)
DFML 19.35 Increased By ▲ 0.17 (0.89%)
DGKC 80.54 Increased By ▲ 0.39 (0.49%)
FABL 33.11 Increased By ▲ 0.26 (0.79%)
FCCL 20.25 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
FFL 10.48 Increased By ▲ 0.83 (8.6%)
GGL 13.61 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.07%)
HBL 129.52 Increased By ▲ 8.18 (6.74%)
HUBC 123.38 Increased By ▲ 0.88 (0.72%)
HUMNL 8.04 Increased By ▲ 0.04 (0.5%)
KEL 4.43 Increased By ▲ 0.46 (11.59%)
LOTCHEM 28.01 Decreased By ▼ -0.07 (-0.25%)
MLCF 42.71 Increased By ▲ 0.51 (1.21%)
OGDC 125.38 Increased By ▲ 4.05 (3.34%)
PAEL 21.33 Increased By ▲ 1.10 (5.44%)
PIBTL 6.11 Increased By ▲ 0.31 (5.34%)
PIOC 118.47 Increased By ▲ 2.57 (2.22%)
PPL 113.85 Increased By ▲ 3.10 (2.8%)
PRL 31.80 Increased By ▲ 2.22 (7.51%)
SILK 1.10 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (1.85%)
SNGP 69.44 Increased By ▲ 0.41 (0.59%)
SSGC 13.76 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (0.44%)
TELE 9.16 Increased By ▲ 0.41 (4.69%)
TPLP 14.79 Increased By ▲ 0.12 (0.82%)
TRG 92.45 Increased By ▲ 1.15 (1.26%)
UNITY 27.47 Increased By ▲ 0.22 (0.81%)
WTL 1.67 Increased By ▲ 0.04 (2.45%)
BR100 6,815 Increased By 167.1 (2.51%)
BR30 24,245 Increased By 677 (2.87%)
KSE100 66,224 Increased By 1505.6 (2.33%)
KSE30 22,123 Increased By 529.1 (2.45%)

DOHA: Achraf Hakimi struck the decisive penalty to send Spain crashing out and Morocco into the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time, winning 3-0 in a shoot-out on Tuesday after a 0-0 draw.

Spain coach Luis Enrique had claimed his players prepared by taking 1,000 penalties as homework but Pablo Sarabia, Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets all missed from the spot and Madrid-born Hakimi dinked his home to the delight of Morocco's raucous support.

Walid Regragui's side will face Portugal or Switzerland in what is uncharted territory for them, with their previous best a last-16 exit in 1986.

Spain had been hoping they could repeat their 2010 World Cup triumph after reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2020, where they were also beaten on penalties by Italy.

The teams were closely matched through a nail-biting clash, with Spain having more of the ball but Morocco creating the better openings, few though they were.

Luis Enrique trialled his third right-back of the tournament in Marcos Llorente, and benched the team's top scorer Alvaro Morata for Marco Asensio, after the shock defeat by Japan.

Spain monopolised the ball, with Morocco's fans furiously whistling with their side out of possession.

Morocco, who are the last African and Arab side left standing at the first World Cup held in an Arab country, were intensely backed and their fans greatly outnumbered Spain's.

With La Roja playing in a pale blue second strip, they resembled the away team on hostile territory.

Gavi, who at 18 years and 123 days old became the youngest player to start a World Cup knockout game since Brazil great Pele in 1958, rose to the occasion.

The Barcelona midfield terrier was at his most intense, smashing into challenges left, right and centre, even diving to make one with his head.

Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou tipped a Gavi strike on to the crossbar, though it would have been ruled offside, while Asensio drilled into the side-netting, although Spain created little.

Regragui's side sat deep defensively and threatened on the counter, with Unai Simon beating away a long range effort from Noussair Mazraoui.

Toothless Spain

Sofiane Boufal, who bypassed Llorente like sand slipping through the Spaniard's fingers early on, carved the best chance of the half for Nayef Aguerd, who headed inches over.

Bounou pummelled away a Dani Olmo strike from an angle as the tension cranked up after the break.

Luis Enrique raged at Rodri for choosing the wrong option on the ball, and withdrew the dogged and muddied Gavi for Carlos Soler.

He threw Morata on too, giving Spain a focal point up top, but they struggled to supply him as Morocco sat deeper and deeper.

Another substitute, Nico Williams did find the Atletico Madrid striker on one occasion but the angle was too tight and he scraped a shot across the face of goal.

Bounou made a fine save from Olmo's free-kick as it almost snuck all the way through, with Spain finally creating stronger chances as the game frayed in the moments before extra-time.

Morocco responded in the additional period by finding stability and testing Simon, who made a fine save with his legs to deny Walid Cheddira after he broke in down Spain's left flank.

Despite heavy pressure by Spain in the final moments before penalties, they could not trouble the Sevilla goalkeeper again, with Pablo Sarabia clipping the outside of the post, although he might have been offside.

Having been sent on apparently for the shoot-out, Sarabia struck the post again from Spain's first penalty, after Abdelhamid Sabiri had sent Morocco ahead.

Soler and Busquets missed, while Hakim Ziyech scored, before Hakimi netted against his birth country to ignite wild celebrations.

Comments

Comments are closed.

Morocco dump Spain out on penalties to reach historic World Cup quarters

$100 billion export vision: Pakistan eyes to reduce trade deficit with China

Nawaz stresses on improving relations with India, other neigbours

Primary auction for GDS will also be held on PSX

Sukuk receives Rs479bn participation against Rs30bn target

Q1: Provinces’ budget surplus dips 76pc YoY

Gold price per tola falls Rs3,000 in Pakistan

Sarah Inam murder case: Verdict to be announced on December 14

Debt servicing: CPHGCL urges CPPA-G to make Rs25.4bn payment

OPEC members push against including fossil fuels phase-out in COP28 deal

Sydney bakes in hottest day in three years