- 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 of the World Cup, all of Morocco needed their brightest stars to deliver the final blow to Spain, eliminating them from the World Cup and qualifying for the quarter-finals.
After half-time and extra-time ended goalless, and after the Moroccan international scored two penalties, all the pressure has shifted to the shoulders of Spanish-born former Real Madrid right-back Ashraf Hakimi, who could have represented Spain, but things turned out differently.
The 24-year-old preferred to represent Morocco, and now carries the burden of responsibility towards an entire nation on his shoulders, knowing his success in scoring the decisive penalty will see his country reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time in its history.
The young defender stepped forward and put the ball in the center of the goal to spread feelings of joy and happiness among the Moroccan national team players and fans, before impressively celebrating with his mother in the stands after winning a penalty with three goals to nil .
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 managed to go beyond.
“It’s a great result and all the players have shown great will,” said Morocco coach Walid Rekragui after the match.
“We knew we had amazing support and that gave us the energy to perform tonight.”
After achieving this outstanding result, Regragui received a phone call from King Mohammed VI of Morocco after the match.
“It is exceptional that a Moroccan receives that call – said Rekragui – He always encourages us, gives us advice and invites us to give everything we can”.
He added: “His message is always constant and doesn’t change. He’s 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 against the Spain national team was humbling, as he played the ball in the wonderful “Panenka” style, which caused Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon to drop to one knee as the ball slowly made its way towards the net.
But the Paris Saint-Germain right-back would not have had the chance to be a hero were it not for Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou’s two penalties and if Pablo Sarabia’s shot had not hit the post, while Abdelhamid Sabiri and Hakim Ziyech managed to score, so much so that Morocco advanced with two goals without replying.
After the penalty shoot-out win against Spain, the Moroccan celebrations began and players ran around the pitch, carrying Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech on their shoulders.
The jubilant players brought in much-loved manager Walid Rekragui, who was only appointed in his place last September, and tossed him into the air.
“I think it’s impossible to do it without these fans. They come to the hotel, they want tickets and many fans have come to Qatar to support the team. They have come from the United States, from Europe, from Morocco.” Regragui said.
“They love the country and what I can tell you is that we haven’t done anything. I need them for the quarter-final match but I’m very proud of the fans and my people.”
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Walid Regragui received a call from Morocco’s King Mohammed VI after his victory over Spain
“Nobody believed in our ability to do that, but we believed in ourselves.”
Morocco knew full well that the Spanish national team were the favorites to win that match.
But they fully adhered to the coach’s plan, relying on a tight defense, which made the Spanish national team pay for just one shot on goal, even as the Spanish national team, led by coach Luis Enrique, tried to beat Morocco by taking possession of ball, and completed over a thousand passes.
The Moroccan national team players attracted great enthusiasm from the Moroccan crowd, which was much larger than the Spanish one, and they didn’t stop cheering and dancing for a full 120 minutes.
Not only did the Spanish fans behind goal leave in frustration and disappointment, but they certainly suffered from hearing impairment throughout the night due to the applause from the Moroccan crowd.
Captain Romain Sayes embodied the spirit of Morocco, playing with a hamstring problem. West Ham star Nayef Akrad had impressive levels before picking up injury as he limped, while midfielder Sofiane Amrabat completed the whole game and had impressive levels, even though he was playing with an injury.
“Spain is one of the best teams in the world, if not the best,” said Regragui.
“We were patient, we knew that if it went to penalties we would have a chance to win because we have one of the best goalkeepers in the world. We fought for that.”
“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 shoot-out.”
He added: “What a historic moment. You can see and feel how much this means to this nation. Nobody thought they could go that far.”
“Nobody believed we could do it, but we believed in ourselves. We think we can win again,” a very happy Moroccan fan, Azzam, who was 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 weren’t afraid of Spain. We let them have the ball, and we won the game.” .
He continued: “The celebrations in Morocco will be like you have never seen them before. They will be fantastic, like the celebrations here.”
And Azzam was absolutely right, as the capital, Rabat, witnessed joyful celebrations, and the Moroccan national team are looking forward to another surprise when they play Portugal, who won the Nations Cup in the 2016.
