Doha
Spanish defender Rodri is bitter after his team's exit from the World Cup. The Manchester City player in a post-match interview said Morocco did nothing throughout the match.
"Morocco offered absolutely nothing, without disrespecting them," said Rodri before adding, "In the game, they did nothing. They just waited for the counters. They stayed behind and tried to counter us."
Spain, the 2010 edition champions had the lion's share of possession (77 per cent) throughout the match. The LA Roja managed to complete 1,019 passes in the match, compared to a measly 304 by Morocco.
Despite keeping the ball for the major part of the game, Spain failed to make any decisive chances as the penalty box threat remained low.
It was only after substitutes like Williams and Morata came on that Spain finally managed some opportunities through the wings.
The Spanish fullbacks had a torrid time against the Moroccan defence as most 1vs1 chances were gobbled up by the incredibly physical duo of Hakimi and Mazaraoui on right-back and left-back respectively.
Notably, this is not the first time that Spain have crashed out of a WC despite bossing the game in possession. In 2018, Spain lost to Russia on penalties after having 79 per cent possession.
2 â The two highest possession figures on record (since 1966) for a #FIFAWorldCup knockout stage game have both been by Spain in the last two tournaments, with La Roja being eliminated in both matches in the round of 16.
79% v Russia in 2018
77% v Morocco in 2022
Stultified. pic.twitter.com/NkMbe4V48t
â OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 7, 2022
As for the penalties, none of Spanish players could find the back of the net as Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou stood like a rock and deflected anything coming his way.
For Morocco, the final and decisive penalty was dispatched by Achraf Hakimi. The Madrid born player took a panenka penalty and surprised everyone.
(With inputs from agencies)
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