Spain’s passing game, popularly known abroad as Tiki-Taka, defines the style of modern football, it is admired around the world and attempts are made to copy it. On Tuesday night, however, at Education City Stadium in al-Rayyan, it was met with abuse from the ranks as if it were something forbidden.
Every time the Spanish national team touched the ball in the penultimate round of 16 of the World Cup, in fact almost every single one, the Moroccan fans in the stands whistled so loudly that their ears vibrated. They whistled louder and louder the longer possession of the ball lasted. Of course they also sang, shouted and clapped, sometimes even together with the few Spanish supporters.
They also blew the whistle for every attempt by the Spaniards when the decision had to come from penalties after a hard-fought 0-0 draw. They whistled and the favorite missed all three of their penalties. The Moroccan goalkeeper named Bono saved twice. And when Achraf Hakimi chipped the ball in the middle to make it 3-0, they cheered like mad. The World Cup had its first big surprise: Morocco is in the quarter-finals.
The fact that Tuesday evening would be an emotional highlight of this World Cup could not be overlooked or overheard long before kick-off when you entered the green metro line in the direction of al-Riffa. Or better: tried to enter. Because it was full of Moroccan fans who sang, drummed and danced on their way to the stadium.
As Gianni Infantino put it, in the highly curious film about the life of football’s most powerful man, exclusively for Qatar Airways passengers en route to the World Cup? “For Qatar and for the Middle East in general”, this tournament is “an opportunity to present itself to the world.” As patronizing as that sounded and as absurd as the rest of what Infantino related in the film seemed, there was something true about it.
From the start, it was evident that not only the Qatari, who left before the final whistle in the opening game, saw this tournament as their home game, but above all the other Arab countries: Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco. The Moroccans were the only ones to survive the group stage.
In fact, they were so good that they didn’t do themselves any favours. Instead of the Japanese, against whom they would have played as group runners-up in the round of 16, they met the Spaniards who had finished behind Japan.
The Moroccans were particularly challenged on the defensive
And this is what the game looked like, as one might have expected: Spain had the ball often and for a long time, Morocco defended in a tightly staggered 4-1-4-1, expected the Spanish attacks in their own half and tried to counter. Every ball won, every brief interruption of Spain’s dominance, the Moroccan fans cheered like a glimmer of hope for the surprise.
In the middle of the first half, the Spanish superiority led to the first chances to score. After a pass from Jordi Alba, Marco Asensio crossed the paths of the Moroccan defenders and had the opportunity to open the scoring from inside the box, hitting the side netting. Coach Luis Enrique had set up his regular formation, which, however, was not yet certain on the right side of defense at this tournament. After Cesar Azpilicueta and Dani Carvajal, Marcos Llorente played there this time. He had his difficulties: Moroccan left winger Sofiane Boufal made him look ponderous.
Boufal, 29, who was born in Paris and plays for small SCO Angers, was Morocco’s most conspicuous player until he was substituted after the hour. Not Hakim Ziyech on the right, Morocco’s most famous footballer, but Boufal kept dribbling past his opponents, he also set up Morocco’s first good chance: just before the break he made a brilliant hook in the penalty area, crossed and found Nayef Aguerd. The defender, who had moved up after a free kick, headed over the goal.
Of course, the Moroccans were more challenged on the defensive than on the offensive. They defended wave after wave of attacks, leaving few chances in the penalty area for a long time. A Spaniard going through the middle past the first line of defense faced six-man Sofyan Amrabat, who cleared in front of the back four.
Pablo Sarabia was Spain’s tragic figure that night
How exhausting the game was for the Moroccans was evident from the fact that coach Walid Regragui made full use of all his substitutions in regular time, including Bayern Munich full-back Noussair Mazraoui. As the fifth player, Regragui had to replace the strong central defender Aguerd in the 84th minute due to an injury.
Now there were gaps, Spain substitute Nico Williams had some space in the penalty area, but his shot didn’t reach goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. That of Dani Olmo in the fifth minute of stoppage time already – Bounou, known as Bono, saved.
In extra time, the Moroccans found themselves more and more on the defensive, but they also countered. Substitute striker Walid Cheddira had a great chance to make it 1-0, but failed alone in front of goalkeeper Unai Simon. The Spaniards missed the last opportunity again: in the final seconds of extra time, after an almost endless sequence of passes, substitute Pablo Sarabia hit the left outer post again from a tight angle.
A few minutes later in the penalty shoot-out he was the first to score on the right – and was Spain’s tragic figure of the evening. And goalkeeper Bono, who had a bit of luck earlier, was thrown into Doha’s night sky by his colleagues.
