Watching his Panenka trickle into the centre of the goal, Achraf Hakimi turned back, almost broke into a dance step, then froze, perhaps in a sudden surge of emotion. His teammates, their arms spread out to embrace him, rushed onto him. Hakimi, as if teasing them, tore away into the direction of Yassine Bounou, the goalkeeper they fondly call Bono, the rockstar of the night who made a brace of saves in the shootout, off Sergio Busquets and Carlos Soler, the second and third attempts of Spain. Their first shot, by Pablo Sarabia, had rebounded off the post, as Morocco beat Spain 3-0 in the tie-breaker after the game ended goalless after 120 minutes.
The celebrations never ceased in the most historic of nights in Moroccan football. Ever the underdogs, the best they had ever managed was the pre-quarterfinals of the 1986 edition, powered by their golden generation, but crashing out to a Lothar Matthaus goal in the 88th minute. This batch of 2022 — with no such reputation —ensured that they didn’t endure any last-minute pain or pangs.
That the victory came against Spain, with whom they share a border and have had fractious diplomatic ties and territorial disputes in the past, would have made the occasion sweeter. Ironically, it was a Spain-born player, Hakimi, whose kick kicked Spain out of the tournament. Bounou is on the rolls of LaLiga side Sevilla too. Several others too are either born in Spain or attached to Spanish clubs.
