Achraf Hakimi scored the decisive penalty to send Spain crashing out and Morocco into the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time, winning 3-0 in a shootout after a 0-0 draw on Tuesday.
Spain coach Luis Enrique claimed his players had prepared by taking 1,000 penalties as homework, but Pablo Sarabia, Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets all missed the occasion and Madrid-born Hakimi led the Moroccan side. Drowned his house in the joy of overwhelming support.
Walid Regargui’s side will face either Portugal or Switzerland, uncharted territory for them, their previous best performance coming in 1986 when they made it out of the last 16.
Spain had hoped to repeat their 2010 World Cup triumph after reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2020, where they were also beaten on penalties by Italy.
The teams were closely matched through a nail-biting encounter, with Spain having more of the ball but Morocco creating the better openings, though they were few.
Luis Enrique trialled his third right-back of the tournament in Marcos Llorente, and benched the team’s top scorer Alvaro Morata for Marco Asensio, following the shock loss to Japan.
Spain monopolized the ball, with the Moroccan fans booing furiously, forcing their side out of possession.
Morocco, the last African and Arab team standing in the first World Cup held in an Arab country, were heavily supported and had far more fans than Spain.
With La Roja playing in the light blue second strip, they resembled the away team on enemy territory.
Gavi, who at 18 years and 123 days became the youngest player to start a World Cup knockout game since Brazilian great Pele in 1958, rose to the occasion.
Barcelona’s midfield terrier was fierce, taking on challenges left, right and centre, even diving to make one with his head.
Morocco goalkeeper Yassin Bono tipped a Gavi strike over the crossbar, though it would have been ruled offside, while Asensio drilled into the side netting, though Spain created little.
With Regargoi sitting deep in defense and threatening on the counter, Younai Simon beat out Nosir Mazrawi’s long-range effort.
Toothless Spain
Sofiane Boufal, who bypassed Llorente like sand slips from the Spaniard’s fingers, created the best chance of the half for Aiguard, who headed inches wide.
Bono deflected a Dani Olmo strike away from an angle as tensions mounted after the break.
Luis Enrique was furious with Rodri for choosing the wrong option on the ball and withdrew the dogged and muddy Gavi for Carlos Soler.
He also threw on Morata, giving Spain a focal point up, but they struggled to supply him as Morocco went deeper.
Another substitute, Nico Williams, found the Atletico Madrid striker at one point but the angle was too tight and he scraped a shot across the face of the goal.
Bono made a fine save from Olmo’s free-kick as it almost went all the way, with Spain finally creating more strong chances as the game opened up in the moments before extra-time.
Morocco responded in the extra period by finding stability and testing Simon, who made a fine save with his legs to deny Walid Chedera after Spain broke down the left.
Despite intense pressure from Spain in the final minutes before penalties, they could not trouble the Sevilla goalkeeper again, with Pablo Sarabia cutting the outside of the post, although he was probably offside.
After seemingly being sent off for the shoot-out, Sarabia hit the post again with Spain’s first penalty, after Abdelhamid Sabry sent Morocco ahead.
Soler and Bisquets missed, while Hakim Ziyech scored, before Hakimi unleashed wild celebrations against the country of his birth.