For the first time ever, Morocco has advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals after Spain missed three penalties in a nail-biting shootout that followed a 120-minute scoreless draw.
Morocco win 3-0 on penalties
Spain’s attack flaws were exposed when they were finally eliminated with just one shot on target throughout the entire game, their lowest-ever total in a World Cup game.
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Nayef Aguerd of West Ham, a center-back, missed Morocco’s best opportunity of the opening period with a close-range header. After a dull second half, Spain’s Pablo Sarabia missed a post with a volley in the waning seconds before Morocco’s replacement Walid Cheddira was denied one-on-one by Unai Simon.
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Sarabia miraculously missed the crossbar with Spain’s second penalty attempt, Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets had theirs saved by Bono, and Achraf Hakimi calmly chipped the winning penalty down the center to put Morocco through. On Saturday, December 10 at 3 pm, Portugal, which defeated Switzerland 6-1 in their last-16 match, will now play Morocco.
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