Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou take a bow.
For 120 pressure-packed minutes Bounou stood agency in entrance of a gradual Spain assault. After which when the match went to penalties, he nonetheless refused to concede even as soon as.
That’s proper, Spain missed all three penalties in a disastrous shootout as Morocco progressed to the World Cup quarterfinals.
Spain turns into the primary nation to lose 4 penalty shoot-outs within the historical past World Cup and their penalty shoot-out effort was simply the second time a workforce has failed to attain in a shoot-out.
Morocco face the winner of this morning’s 6am (AEDT) conflict between Portugal and Switzerland the place Cristiano Ronaldo began the match on the bench. Portugal leads 4-1 within the second half.
7.15am AEDT – No Ronaldo, no worries for Portugal
Pink scorching Portugal has picked Switzerland aside and it has became a massacre within the second half.
Portugal had 4 targets inside 55 minutes — and so they did it with Cristiano Ronaldo sitting on the bench.
Goncalo Ramos, the 21-year-old rising star, introduced himself to the world with a thunderbolt strike within the seventeenth minute the place he blasted a shot previous the goalkeeper on the close to publish from an not possible large angle.
Ramos was the participant promoted to start out for the nationwide workforce for the primary time — at Ronaldo’s expense.
It was simply the beginning as Portugal confirmed it didn’t want its legendary goal-scorer.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos abruptly appeared like a genius as his daring transfer to bench Ronaldo paid off immediately.
There was one stat that summed up Ronaldo’s embarrassment.
Former England goalkeeper Rob Inexperienced described the shot as an “absolute rocket” in commentary for the BBC.
It was 2-0 within the thirty third minute when veteran Pepe put away a robust header from a nook.
The sport was over when Ramos scored his second purpose within the 51st minute.
It was full carnage as Switzerland tried to chase the sport and opened itself up in defence. Quickly it was 4-0 when Raphael Guerreiro powered a strike previous the keeper after getting in behind the defence.
Switzerland did rating a purpose off a nook within the 58th minute.
5.30am — Ronaldo ‘deprecated’ in shock benching
Cristiano Ronaldo has been benched for Portugal’s match with Switzerland.
It’s the first time the legendary goal-scorer has been benched for his nationwide aspect at a serious match for the reason that 2008 Euros — ending a run of 31 video games.
It was a humiliation.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos mentioned earlier he was unimpressed with Ronaldo’s behaviour after the ahead reacted angrily when substituted throughout the workforce’s closing group recreation.
Ronaldo initially mentioned he was “insulted” by a South Korean participant as he was substituted.
However Portuguese media have proven pictures that recommend he used vulgar language in response to Santos’s resolution.
Requested how he had reacted to these pictures, Santos instructed a information convention: “I didn’t prefer it in any respect. I didn’t prefer it in any respect.”
The benching has shocked soccer commentators.
Sky Sports activities mentioned the transfer left Ronaldo “deprecated”.
England nice Gary Neville mentioned on ITV: “The petulance, the sulking, it’s received to cease as a result of it doesn’t replicate nicely on him in any respect”.
The BBC’s chief soccer reporter Phil McNulty mentioned: “It’s a surprising fall from grace”.
5am — Spain crumbles in ‘pathetic’ penalty shootout
Achraf Hakimi struck the decisive penalty to ship Spain crashing out and Morocco into the World Cup quarter-finals for the primary time — profitable 3-0 in a shoot-out after a 0-0 draw.
Spain coach Luis Enrique had claimed his gamers ready by taking 1000 penalties as homework however Pablo Sarabia, Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets all missed from the spot and Madrid-born Hakimi dinked his dwelling to the delight of Morocco’s raucous assist.
Walid Regragui’s aspect will face Portugal or Switzerland in what’s uncharted territory for them, with their earlier finest a last-16 exit in 1986.
Spain had been hoping they may repeat their 2010 World Cup triumph after reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2020, the place they had been additionally overwhelmed on penalties by Italy.
The groups had been intently matched by a nail-biting conflict, with Spain having extra of the ball however Morocco creating the higher openings, few although they had been.
After 120 minutes Spain and Morocco couldn’t be cut up and it went to penalties — the place Spain had been even much less efficient than Japan was in opposition to Croatia.
Morocco shot first. The workforce going second had gained the previous seven World Cup shootouts.
Right here’s out the shoot-out performed out:
Morocco (Sabiri) — Scored. Spain (Sarabia) — Hits the publish and misses 1-0
Morocco (Ziyech) — Scored. Spain (Soler) — Saved. Catastrophe for Spain 2-0
Morocco (Benoun) — Saved. Life for Spain. Spain (Busquets) — Saved. What’s going on? 2-0
Morocco (Hakimi) — Scored. Morocco wins 3-0
Luis Enrique trialled his third right-back of the match in Marcos Llorente, and benched the workforce’s prime scorer Alvaro Morata for Marco Asensio, after the shock defeat by Japan.
Spain monopolised the ball, with Morocco’s followers furiously whistling with their aspect out of possession.
Morocco, who’re the final African and Arab aspect left standing on the first World Cup held in an Arab nation, had been intensely backed and their followers drastically outnumbered Spain’s.
With La Roja enjoying in a pale blue second strip, they resembled the away workforce on hostile territory.
Gavi, who at 18 years and 123 days outdated grew to become the youngest participant to start out a World Cup knockout recreation since Brazil nice Pele in 1958, rose to the event.
The Barcelona midfield terrier was at his most intense, smashing into challenges left, proper and centre, even diving to make one along with his head.
Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou tipped a Gavi strike on to the crossbar, although it will have been dominated offside, whereas Asensio drilled into the side-netting, though Spain created little.
Regragui’s aspect sat deep defensively and threatened on the counter, with Unai Simon beating away an extended vary effort from Noussair Mazraoui.
Sofiane Boufal, who bypassed Llorente like sand slipping by the Spaniard’s fingers early on, carved one of the best likelihood of the half for Nayef Aguerd, who headed inches over.
Bounou pummelled away a Dani Olmo strike from an angle as the strain cranked up after the break.
Luis Enrique raged at Rodri for selecting the unsuitable possibility on the ball, and withdrew the dogged and muddied Gavi for Carlos Soler.
He threw Morata on too, giving Spain a focus up prime, however they struggled to produce him as Morocco sat deeper and deeper.
One other substitute, Nico Williams did discover the Atletico Madrid striker on one event however the angle was too tight and he scraped a shot throughout the face of purpose.
Bounou made a effective save from Olmo’s free-kick because it virtually snuck all through, with Spain lastly creating stronger possibilities as the sport frayed within the moments earlier than extra-time.
Morocco responded within the further interval by discovering stability and testing Simon, who made a effective save along with his legs to disclaim Walid Cheddira after he broke in down Spain’s left flank.
Regardless of heavy strain by Spain within the closing moments earlier than penalties, they may not hassle the Sevilla goalkeeper once more, with Pablo Sarabia clipping the surface of the publish, though he may need been offside.
Having been despatched on apparently for the shoot-out, Sarabia struck the publish once more from Spain’s first penalty, after Abdelhamid Sabiri had despatched Morocco forward.
Soler and Busquets missed, whereas Hakim Ziyech scored, earlier than Hakimi netted in opposition to his start nation to ignite wild celebrations.
— with AFP
