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Spain dies in penalties – Diari de Girona

End of journey for Spain in Qatar. The selection has died in penalties, as four years earlier in Russiavictim of his lack of inspiration in the final meters. It fell in front of Morocco, a solid and forceful selection, capable of taking the physical and mental limit to Luis Enrique’s set in one high tension party a l’Education City.

Spain did not deserve to lose, but the World Cup does not admit nuances or doubts: the selection has had everything except the most important, the gol. He commanded during the game, but he has crashed against the Moroccan wall. He missed the last pass and finished. In Morocco, his impeccable defensive performance helped him make history and reach the quarter-finals of a World Cup for the first time.

The bitterest face of football

It was another cruel farewell to Spain of a World Cup. The selection has reached the penalty shootout in a state of exhaustion that turned the shootout into torture.

They have failed Sarabia, Soler i Busquets his launches, the only three of the selection. Too much ballast at these heights. Achrafi he scored his penalty and Morocco went into ecstasy in front of the desolation of Spain, once again forced to experience the bitterest side of football.

an incomprehensible defeat

Luis Enrique rescued the initial plan of the tournament, although with a surprise: they played from the beginning the same as against Costa Rica (7-0) except d’Azpilicueta. Has been Marcos Llorente the one chosen to occupy the right lane of the defense. He has had an uncomfortable match, with constant suffering and little progress in attack.

Spain has applied Luis Enrique’s script to the letter. He had the ball and ruled the game from the opening whistle. Tried to open the field with Elm tree on the left and Ferran on the right –Asensio in the position of false nine-, but it has not been easy against the Moroccan block, a solid, compact team and very well worked by their coach, Walid Reragui.

In a hostile environment

The selection, which has played as a guest at Education City in Doha, under the suffocating pressure from the Moroccan publicthe majority in the stands, went to work but soon saw that he would not have a comfortable day.

For the closing of the rival, for puzzling refereeing by the Argentine Rapallini and for his own lack of inspiration. Spain played a more theoretical than practical game: the last pass and shot failed, change of rhythm and overflow, these nuances that break up games and decide results.

Morocco jumped into the field with very clear ideas: to apply themselves in defense, not to leave gaps for the opponent and to play as a block, in no more than 40 meters. Hard leg and shock. And in attack, catch some counterattack or take advantage of some isolated action, such as those of Bufal in the first half, in charge of making life very difficult for Llorente. Achraf already threatened with a free-kick shortly after the start.

Luis Enrique was desperate on the sideline giving instructions to his players, unable to filter through the Moroccan defenders. The selection barely counted scoring chances or shots, but overshadowed faithful to his planconvinced that the passage of minutes would reward her effort.

Nico, repulsive

Morata replaced Asensio at the start of the second half. Soler has also taken the place of Gavi. Spain needed lungs in the center of the field and more presence in the rival areaa new benchmark that forced Morocco’s central players to multiply.

Morocco, for its part, has fiat everything counterattack: Abde, the Barça player on loan to Osasuna, has entered to try to run into space.

No spaces, the selection ran out of ideas. The match turned into a handball duel, with the ball from one side to the other, however without depth or opportunities. Desperate for some, not so much for others.

Luis Enrique has entrusted himself to the spark of Nico Williams. It sounded like an emergency solution, but Spain has taken a step forward. He has stepped more and better the Bono area, although he followed up with a shot and a goal. Not even Morata’s header, completed in the 90th minute, managed to score. Spain has squeezed its options at set pieces, but has ended up resigning to the extension.

From agony to pain

Bucket i Ansu they have entered to refresh a physically and mentally exhausted team. Morocco pushed Spain to the limit, with the North African team determined to win the penalty anyway. The selection has proposed, but has hit the Moroccan wall again and again.

Extra time was an exercise in pure agony: Morocco defended tooth and nail and threatened to give the counterattack some leeway. unai simon and the defense have maintained the type. The minutes weighed like lead on the grass and in the stands, in an atmosphere of extreme nervousness.

Sarabia, having just entered the field, had it in a finish without an angle. It was the last of the match, before the penalty shootout.

Torture from eleven meters

Penalties have been torture: Spain has reached the eleven meters without oxygen. Sarabia, Soler and Busquets they have failed

Farewell to Spain in Qatar, the team that started the tournament scoring seven goals and was left empty and uninspired at the least opportune moment. The dream will have to wait.

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