Morocco head coach Walid Regragui has disclosed how his side worked on a gameplan for four days ahead of their round of 16 clash against Spain at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The Atlas Lions stunned Spain 3-0 in a shootout after a goalless draw to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. The two teams couldn’t be separated after 120 minutes and Spain failed to convert any of their three penalties, with goalkeeper Bounou brilliantly saving two.
That left Hakimi to win it for the North Africans with his nerveless spot-kick and spark jubilant scenes in the stands at the Education City Stadium.
“We had agreed not to take possession, not out of fear,” he said.
“Nobody had managed to steal the ball from them, so I accepted not having the ball, I’m not a magician. We worked for four days on this gameplan.”
Morocco are the last African side following the exit of African champions Senegal, Ghana, Tunisia and Cameroon and also the only remaining Arab team left in the tournament.
