This match was the only one out of 8 matches in the Round of 16 where the underdogs won, and they won deservedly.
Spain opted to play yet another midfielder, Marcos Llorente, at right-back instead of natural ones Dani Carvajal or Cesar Azpilicueta. The lineup is otherwise unchanged.
Morocco went for an organised 4-1-4-1 off the ball, with Amrabat as the holding midfielder. He was insane today and was the most energetic player for more than 120 minutes. He’s my Man of the Match.
Spain pressed high and aggressively, not wanting the game to slow down lest they run out of time to score goals. They prevented Morocco from slowing down the pace of the game, making them play it at Spain’s pace.
Knowing they hardly had a chance of outmanoeuvring Spain, Morocco went long to achieve ball progression. The upshot was that they maintained their structure but struggled in possession.
Morocco were visibly more tired than their opponents. Their best attacking players Boufal and Ziyech were spent long before the 90th minute. Their attacks became increasingly sterile as the game went on but the Moroccans forced themselves to put in the legs for defence.
The two teams played out a pulsating, hard-fought battle in regulation time.
Sarabia made sweet contact with a volley in the last minute of extra time which could have finally broke the deadlock in a dramatic finale, but it glanced off the post.
The game went to a penalty shootout. In dramatic fashion the Moroccan goalkeeper Bounou remains unbeaten as Spain missed all their penalties.
Spain did not even create that much expected goals (xG). They lacked an incisive, direct midfielder. Morocco’s full-backs also shut down Spain’s wingers brilliantly. Despite their tournament exit, I don’t think Spain are a weak team by any means. They would have every chance to defeat a powerhouse—their tactics just didn’t work against Morocco, plus there is always noise and variance in individual games.
From the indefatigable Amrabat to the impassable Saiss, every single Moroccan on the field put in a tremendous shift which tested their limits. They were boxed to the death by the unrelenting Spainiards who pulled Morocco all over the place for two great hours by playing more than a thousand passes, but the sheer resilience of the Moroccan warriors held against every challenge. Inspired by belief, they were unshaken as they stepped up to the penalty spot, rounding it up with a cool, lovely chip by Hakimi right down the middle. What a celebration by him, too.
In the last game of the RO16, the first hattrick of the tournament was scored as Portugal trounced Switzerland. It was scored not by Ronaldo, but by his 21-year-old replacement Goncalo Ramos. The decision to drop Ronaldo was bold but worked out well.
Ronaldo, who scored a hattrick against Spain in the previous World Cup, has waned significantly since his move to Manchester United. It seems unlikely he will start for the remainder of Portugal’s campaign. They probably play with more flair and fluidity without the 37-year-old.
Dalot is preferred over Cancelo too. Manchester City’s mathematical mastermind Manuel Akanji got a consolation goal.
Can Morocco repeat their feats against Portugal who have a more direct play style than Spain, a better team than Croatia and a more in-form attack than Belgium?
I don’t think Morocco can beat Portugal, because Morocco have been massively overperforming their expected goals (xG) in both defence and attack which is unsustainable, and they would be exhausted after their 120 minutes again Spain. Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and co. may finally be too much for Morocco to handle.
No World Cup football for the next two days. Looking forward to Croatia vs Brazil. Rooting for Croatia, the underdogs. Want big bullies Brazil to lose.
P.S. I can’t have a match review for JPN 🇯🇵 1 (1) – (3) 1 🇭🇷 CRO as I missed the game by sleeping through it. I only woke up just before the penalty shootout. I slept before Morocco vs Spain too but I made sure to set an alarm that time.
BLOGOPUS 