FIFA World Cup 2022, Round of 16: Morocco crush Spain in penalty shootout, continue their run in World Cup
The two teams faced off in the Round of 16 stage on Tuesday.
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Dec 6, 2022 11:29 pm
FIFA World Cup 2022, Round of 16: Morocco outclass Spain in penalty shootout, march into quarter-finals (Image Source: Twitter)
The ongoing world’s biggest tournament, the FIFA World Cup 2022 hosted by Qatar, is approaching the quarter-final stage and eventually, two heavyweights clashed in the Round of 16 stage on December 6, Tuesday. It was a tough outing between Morocco and Spain and it was the latter who dominated the first half.
Although the scoreline remained at 0-0 at the end of the first half, the opportunities created by Spain in the first half were much higher than that of the Moroccan camp. Further, as far as the possession is concerned, it was all about the Spaniards as they completely outplayed their opponents in the initial half. Spain reached the Round of 16 stage after giving it their all in the group stage and are one of the favourites to make a cut to the summit clash. With the likes of Argentina, England and Brazil already in the quarter-finals, the Spaniards would look to make an impact and prove their prowess.
Morocco, Spain toil hard for quarter-final berth in FIFA World Cup 2022
As far as the second half is concerned, Morocco created opportunities but failed to make them count. On the other hand, the Spaniards played with a sub-par intent and dealt with fatigue issues, much to the surprise of the Brazilian fans.
It was a game of margins as both teams put the ball into the 18-year box a considerable amount of times, although none of them went past the goalkeeper. While Morocco thrived to make a comeback in the game, Spain continued their dominance with possession and pass accuracy. At the 85-minute mark, with both teams remaining at 0-0, it looked like the game would go into extra time.
One has to agree that both teams exceeded the fans’ expectations and completely sweat it out hard on the green surface. Post failing to score a goal after the conclusion of the two additional times, the match entered the penalty shootout phase and fans awaited the winner with patience. It was Morocco who won the game in the penalty shootout after fighting it hard for more than 2 hours on the green surface.
