In one of the most nerve-wracking scenarios World Cup football can present to a player, all of Morocco needed their star man to deliver the decisive blow to Spain.
After 120 minutes of knife football and two successful penalties, the moment of pressure fell on Achraf Hakimi, the Spanish-born former Real Madrid right-back, who might well have been lining up for the country of his birth if the things had turned out differently.
But the 24-year-old had embraced his heritage and now had the weight of a nation’s responsibility on his young shoulders, knowing scoring would lead his side to their first World Cup quarter-final.
The defender stood up and nonchalantly dinked in the middle of the goal to spark scenes of wild jubilation – before celebrating emotionally with his mum in the stands.
Morocco became only the fourth African team – and the first Arab nation – to reach the round of 16 after Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010. None of these teams have ever gone higher. far.
After the match, Morocco coach Walid Regragui said: “It’s a tremendous achievement and they were all patched up, they all showed tremendous determination.
“We knew we had tremendous support behind us and we drew the energy from that to give this performance tonight.”
Such was their feat, Regragui received a phone call from the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, after the match.
“It’s extraordinary for a Moroccan to receive this call,” said Regragui. “He always encourages us and he gives us advice and he calls us to give everything.
“His message is always the same, he is proud of the players and he is proud of us and therefore we want to go even further and do even better next time.”
Moroccan fans ‘love the country’
Hakimi’s telltale kick was outrageous, a cool ‘Panenka’ that left Spain keeper Unai Simon on one knee as the ball flew past him in slow motion.
But the Paris St-Germain full-back wouldn’t have had the chance to become a hero if goalkeeper Yaccine Bounou hadn’t saved two penalties and Pablo Sarabia hit the post, with Abdelhamid Sabiri and Hakim Ziyech converted for put their country 2-0 ahead. .
Morocco had trained Spain on penalties and then celebrations ensued, players running wildly down the pitch, Chelsea’s Ziyech climbing onto the shoulders of a team-mate.
Popular coach Regragui, appointed only in September, was tossed in the air by his beaming players.
“I think it’s impossible to do this without these supporters,” Regragui said. “They come to the hotel, they want tickets, a lot of fans came to Qatar to support the team, from America, Europe and Morocco.
“They love the country and what I can tell them is that we haven’t done anything. I need them for the quarter-finals but I’m very proud of my fans and my people.”
“No one believed it, we believed it”
Morocco was a big underdog in this game and they knew it.
They stuck to their game plan by sitting down with a resolute and compact defense that only allowed one Spanish shot on target, although Luis Enrique’s side tried to subdue the opposition with more power. a thousand passes attempted.
Regragui’s men were driven by their boisterous following, vastly outnumbering the Spaniards in singing, dancing and jeering for the entire 120 minutes.
The pocket of Spanish supporters behind the goal will leave not only with broken hearts, but also with eardrums ringing for the rest of the night.
Skipper Romain Saiss embodied the spirit of Morocco, playing with a pulled hamstring, West Ham’s Nayef Aguerd was immense before the injury, while midfielder Sofyan Amrabat harassed and harassed the whole game.
Regragi added: “[Spain are] one of the best teams in the world, if not the best. We couldn’t play too high up the pitch because that’s what they wanted us to do.
“We were patient and knew that if we got there we would have a chance with one of the best goalkeepers in the world. We fought for it.”
Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “You can’t say Morocco don’t deserve it. The fight, the spirit and then the guts in that penalty shootout.
“What a historic moment. You can see and feel how much it means to this nation. No one thought they could get this far.”
Cheerful Morocco fan Azam, celebrating outside the stadium, told BBC Sport: “No one believed it, we believed it. We believe we can win again too.
“This team is a hero. We love them and they can get to the semi-finals, then the final, then they can lift the World Cup. We weren’t afraid of Spain. They have the ball, we have the victory.
“The celebrations in Morocco will be like you’ve never seen them before. It will be amazing. Like the celebrations here.”
And he was right. There have been jubilant scenes in the capital of Rabat as they look forward to another clash on Saturday when they face 2016 European champions Portugal.
