- Shimon Hafez
- BBC Sport from the Education City Stadium in Doha
Morocco became the fourth African team – and the first Arab team – to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup
In one of the most exciting scenarios in the World Cup, all of Morocco needed its most prominent stars to deal the final blow to Spain, eliminating it from the World Cup and qualifying for the quarter-finals.
After the original and extra time ended in a goalless draw, and after the Moroccan national team scored two penalty shootouts, all the pressure became on the shoulders of Ashraf Hakimi, the former right back of Real Madrid and born in Spain, who could have represented Spain, but things turned out differently.
The 24-year-old preferred to represent Morocco, and now he bears the burden of responsibility towards an entire nation on his shoulders, knowing that his success in scoring the decisive penalty will lead his country to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time in its history.
The young defender advanced and put the ball in the middle of the goal to spread feelings of joy and happiness among the players and fans of the Moroccan national team, before he celebrated in an impressive way with his mother in the stands after winning a penalty shootout with three goals to none.
Morocco became the fourth African team – and the first Arab team – to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup after Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002, and Ghana in 2010. However, none of these teams succeeded in reaching beyond that.
“It’s a great achievement, and all the players showed tremendous will,” said Morocco’s coach, Walid Rekragui, after the end of the match.
“We knew we had tremendous support, and that gave us the energy that enabled us to put in this performance tonight.”
After achieving this exceptional achievement, Regragui received a phone call from King Mohammed VI of Morocco after the match.
“It is exceptional for a Moroccan to receive that call,” Rekragui said. “He always encourages us, gives us advice, and invites us to give everything we can.”
He added, “His message is always constant and does not change. He is proud of the players, proud of us, and as a result we want to go further and do better next time.”
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Hakimi put the ball in the wonderful “Panenka” way
Moroccan fans “love the country”
Hakimi’s knockout to the Spanish national team was humiliating, as he played the ball in the wonderful “Panenka” style, which made Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon bend on one knee while the ball was heading towards the net slowly.
But the right-back of Paris Saint-Germain would not have had the chance to be a hero had it not been for Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou’s two penalty kicks and if Pablo Sarabia’s shot had not hit the post, while Abdelhamid Sabiri and Hakim Ziyech managed to score, so that Morocco advanced with two goals without. to reply.
After the victory over Spain on penalties, the Moroccan celebrations began and the players ran around the field, carrying Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech on their shoulders.
The jubilant players carried the much-loved manager Walid Rekragui, who was appointed to his post only last September, and thrust him into the air.
“I think it is impossible to do it without these fans. They come to the hotel, they want tickets, and a lot of fans came to Qatar to support the team. They came from the United States, from Europe, from Morocco,” said Regragui.
“They love the country, and what I can tell you is that we didn’t do anything. I need them for the quarter-final game, but I’m very proud of the fans and my people.”
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Walid Regragui received a phone call from King Mohammed VI of Morocco after the victory over Spain
“Nobody believed in our ability to do this, but we believed in ourselves.”
Morocco knew very well that the Spanish national team was the favorite to win that match.
But they fully adhered to the coach’s plan, by relying on tight defense, which made the Spanish national team only pay one shot on goal, although the Spanish national team, led by coach Luis Enrique, tried to beat Morocco by taking possession of ball, and completed more than a thousand passes.
The Moroccan national team players drew great enthusiasm from the Moroccan audience, which was much larger than the Spanish audience, and did not stop cheering and dancing for a full 120 minutes.
Not only did the Spanish fans behind the goal leave frustrated and disappointed, but they were sure to suffer hearing problems all night from what they heard from the loud cheers from the Moroccan crowd.
Captain Romain Sayes embodied the spirit of Morocco, playing with a hamstring problem. West Ham star, Nayef Akrad, presented impressive levels before he was injured while limping, while midfielder Sofiane Amrabat completed the entire match and presented impressive levels, even though he was playing with an injury.
“Spain are one of the best teams in the world, if not the best,” said Regragui.
“We were patient, we knew if we got to penalties we would have a chance to win because we have one of the best goalkeepers in the world. We fought for it.”
“You can’t say Morocco didn’t deserve to win,” former Scotland winger Pat Nevin told the BBC. “They fought and played with great spirit, and then with great courage during the penalty shootout.”
He added, “What a historic moment. You can see and feel how much that means to this nation. Nobody thought they could get this far.”
“No one believed we could do it, but we believed in ourselves. We think we can win again too,” a very happy Moroccan fan, Azzam, celebrating outside the stadium, told the BBC.
He added, “This team has a group of champions. We love them and they can reach the semi-finals, then the final, and they can lift the World Cup. We were not afraid of Spain. We let them have the ball, and we won the match.”
He continued, “The celebrations in Morocco will be like you’ve never seen before. They will be amazing, like the celebrations here.”
And Azzam was absolutely right about that, as the capital, Rabat, witnessed joyful celebrations, and the Moroccan national team is looking forward to achieving another surprise when it plays on Saturday against Portugal, who won the European Nations Cup in 2016.