• Morocco beat Spain on penalties after their Round of 16 match ended 0-0.
• Achraf Hakimi converted the go-ahead penalty kick after Sergio Busquets, Pablo Sarabia, and Carlos Soler all missed.
• Spain has now lost four penalty shootouts at a World Cup, the only country to do so.

Gilbert Silva, who played for Brazil in the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning team, said that it was unusual to see Spain miss three penalties during their shocking Round of 16 loss to Morocco on Tuesday at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan.

Spain and Morocco’s Round of 16 match ended in a 0-0 tie after 90 minutes and extra time, forcing a penalty shootout.

Achraf Hakimi, a Moroccan player of Spanish descent, converted the go-ahead penalty kick after Spain shockingly missed all three of their tries, securing Morocco’s matchup with Portugal in the quarterfinals on December 10.

“It is frustrating, for everybody. They missed three penalties; it is not very common. Well done to Morocco, they did a good job. The game came to this point because Morocco did a good job. They created good chances, they did not give so many chances to Spain at the back because they were very solid,” said Silva

Luis Enrique, the coach of Spain, made a joke prior to the game about how the players had been instructed to drill 1000 penalties in order to prepare for World Cup penalty shootout scenarios. However, Sergio Busquets, Pablo Sarabia, and Carlos Soler all missed their goals on the real occasion.

Spain has now lost four penalty shootouts, making it the only country in FIFA World Cup history to do so. Former England footballer Sol Campbell believed that although Spain faltered under duress, Morocco excelled when it mattered most.

“I kind of felt it that Morocco is going to do it. The pressure definitely got to the Spanish team for sure. They (Morocco) defended incredibly well.”

“Even though Spain had a lot of the ball but had it in their own back and the middle, not much penetrating, a couple of times they did. But overall, Morocco, what a performance.”

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