Morocco advanced to the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup 2022 by defeating Spain 3-0 in a penalty shootout.
The African side held former champion Spain scoreless in regulation.
Both teams failed to score in 30 minutes of extra time before the penalty shootout.
Achraf Hakimi calmly converted a penalty to send Morocco through to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time with a 3-0 shootout win over former champions Spain after a cagey last-16 clash ended goalless on Tuesday.
Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved spot-kicks from Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets after Pablo Sarabia hit the post. Spanish-born Hakimi held his nerve to earn his team a quarterfinal against either Portugal or Switzerland.
Morocco became only the fourth African nation to reach the last eight of the tournament, 12 years after Ghana did so in South Africa.
After a scrappy match finished deadlocked at 0-0 after extra time with few shots on target, Morocco fed off the raucous support of their red-clad supporters in the shootout as Spain crumbled.
Spain enjoyed more than 75% of possession and completed almost 800 passes, but Morocco caused problems on the counter-attack, and goalkeeper Unai Simon made some good saves.
It was the fourth time Spain had been knocked out of the World Cup on penalties and the second in a row. (PhotoNews / Reuters)
