Hakimi Panenka puts Morocco in the quarterfinals

Riots in Rabat. Celebrations in Casablanca. Tears of joy in Tangier. Morocco has advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals in its long history.

It would not be possible without the Herculean heroism of one Yassine Bounou. The Sevilla goalkeeper kept several shots outside the Moroccan goal, but it was the waste of Spain that sentenced him to extra time. Spain was about to score when Real striker Marco Asensio sent Bounou one-on-one wide.

But that is not to say that Morocco was better than its European contemporaries. Athletic Club goalkeeper at 32′, disrupting a shot from outside the area by Noussair Mazraoui.

It was a relatively uneventful first 90 minutes as fatigue set in on both sides. Expert tackles from both defenses were the difference between life and death. A last-minute lunge from Sofyan Amrabat blocked an excellent try from Nico Williams to take the match into extra time.

The extra 30 minutes seemed identical to the 90 minutes that had just ended; both sides just couldn’t finish. Morocco continued to tear the Spanish defense to shreds with what little possession they had. Angers midfielder Azzedine Ounahi plowed past several defenders into the box, where he fed Bari striker Walid Cheddira through. Unfortunately, they were met with the grateful palms of Simón, who forced the ball out of harm’s way.

Spain seemed the better team after extra time. His best chance was a tight volley from Pablo Sarabia that crashed into him on the last shot of extra time. It was positioned almost perfectly, and just a few feet could have made Sarabia the hero instead of the eventual villain.

Of course, the high-energy penalty shootout was the highlight of the match.

Morocco resorts to penalties to book a place in the quarterfinals

Sampdoria midfielder Abdelhamid Sabiri took the first penalty of the game into the bottom right corner, misleading Simon in the wrong direction. Parisian star Pablo Sarabia hit the post on his first missed penalty, giving Morocco a one-goal lead.

Hakim Ziyech from Chelsea went up. He scored his penalty right in the middle, leaving Simón surprised and Spain nervous. Then came Carlos Soler. Bounou expertly punished Soler’s loose shot, hitting the mark.

Qatar SC defender Badr Banoune nearly jeopardized Morocco’s chances of escaping with a penalty shoot-out, but Sergio Busquets’ half-hearted penalty attempt that Bounou easily overcame gave Morocco their best chance yet. now to advance to the quarterfinals.

Achraf Hakimi, the face behind the Moroccan national team, the man who almost single-handedly led the Atlas Lions to the World Cup; he approached the penalty spot. He seemed steady, collected, confident.