Twitter reacts to Spain's World Cup elimination to Morocco on penalties
By Sean Walsh
Another one bites the dust.
After narrowly scraping through their group (only just about avoiding the same ill fate as Germany), Spain have been knocked out of the World Cup at the last 16 stage on penalties for a second successive tournament, this time at the hands of Morocco.
2018—Spain are eliminated in the round of 16 after losing to Russia on penalties
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 6, 2022
2022—Spain are eliminated in the round of 16 after losing to Morocco on penalties
😬 pic.twitter.com/7GaHQL3j1m
🇪🇸 Spain's previous World Cup shootout record 📋
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) December 6, 2022
🆚 Belgium: Lost 5-4 ❌ (1986)
🆚 Rep of Ireland: Won 3-2 ✅ (2002)
🆚 South Korea: Lost 5-3 ❌ (2002)
🆚 Russia: Lost 4-3 ❌ (2018)
🇲🇦 This is Morocco's first World Cup shootout 👀#BBCWorldCup #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/yBmgaBtZ5s
◎ 5-4 vs Belgium (1986)
— Squawka (@Squawka) December 6, 2022
◉ 3-2 vs Ireland (2002)
◎ 5-3 vs South Korea (2002)
◎ 4-3 vs Russia (2018)
◎ 3-0 vs Morocco (2022)
Spain have now lost four World Cup penalty shootouts, more than any other nation. 😮 pic.twitter.com/vMJGvouNOq
How did we get here? Weren't Spain the favourites to go through against their neighbours from northern Africa?
Well, it was the same old story with La Roja - lots of possession, not enough penetration.
Spain have completed 685 passes and attempted five shots. This might be worse than the Russia game.
— Ryan O'Hanlon (@rwohan) December 6, 2022
Spain’s endless passing and posession had no punch again. A carbon copy exit to the one they had 4 years ago against Russia. Their football tonight was boring and bland. Magnificent from Morocco. Especially Hakimi , Saiss, Aguerd , Amrabat , Ziyech and Bono.
— Ian Darke (@IanDarke) December 6, 2022
Spain’s last two World Cup last 16 matches against Russia and Morocco:
— Karan Tejwani (@karan_tejwani26) December 6, 2022
Passes: 2,133
Goals: 1
Losses: 2
Captain Sergio Busquets - who was one of three Spain players to miss in the penalty shootout - had a rather poor game walking through the mud of the midfield.
ahí va Busquets manejando la contra pic.twitter.com/RlY0HpV8PD
— Pablo Mur (@pablomurrrr) December 6, 2022
Morocco have completely taken Busquets out of this game, and when you see how central he is to Enrique’s system you can understand why. Spain look devoid of ideas so far
— Lyés (@LyesBouzidi10) December 6, 2022
Busquets encarrerandose para tirar el penal pic.twitter.com/7Ksg7t5K4z
— JIMMYNHO DA SILVA 🇧🇷 (@JNT3D) December 6, 2022
Even literal Golden Boy Gavi was coming in for criticism.
I can assure you, if Gavi wasn’t Spanish and playing for Barcelona, absolutely nobody would be comparing him to Iniesta lmao https://t.co/n7fCTCbW5C
— Taísto (@TaistoFCB) December 6, 2022
Gavi if his name didn’t rhyme with Xavi pic.twitter.com/xSKt1VujZ5
— 🃏 (@umarver1point2) December 6, 2022
As good as Gavi is at 18, there isn’t a team in world football where he should be starting ahead of Thiago Alcantara. Spain have made an absolute mess of Thiago’s international career and hurt themselves in the process by depriving themselves of the best Spanish midfielder.
— Anfield Fix 🇵🇸 (@AnfieIdFix) December 6, 2022
But credit where it's due to Morocco, who took Spain the whole way and went toe-to-toe with them. West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd came in for praise again.
Aguerd having the game of his life here. Even the free kick he gave away to Gavi was a shit call from the ref
— Alex Stewart (@AFHStewart) December 6, 2022
Nayef Aguerd and Romain Saïss when playing for Morocco. pic.twitter.com/BI8CZFraZt
— bet365 (@bet365) December 6, 2022
Aguerd is one of those underrated CBs, playing a great WC so far, despite his own goal against Canada.
— AUGUSTUS 🔴 (@Der_Augustus) December 6, 2022
Former Southampton star Sofiane Boufal, often criticised for his inconsistency, was having the game of his life.
Sofiane Boufal has completed the most dribbles (5) so far this match. 🇲🇦⚡️ pic.twitter.com/6KhEadnu0d
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) December 6, 2022
It can’t be forgotten, Boufal didn’t touch the ball in between these two images 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/CAejpEQI5j
— hassan. (@westsidehassan) December 6, 2022
Boufal dying to get into the streets won't forget XI
— Ahmed Shooble (@AhmedShooble) December 6, 2022
Spain nearly stole a spot in the quarter-finals at the end of the 120 minutes through Pablo Sarabia, and he was first to miss during the shootout.
Enrique: Pablo, I’m subbing you on to take a pen… act natural
— declan (@ProudSomaIi) December 6, 2022
Sarabia: pic.twitter.com/km0DnuPXzg
Pablo Sarabia has managed to hit the post twice in the space of 30 seconds of action
— Richard Martin (@Rich9908) December 6, 2022
sarabia was la liga top assister in his final season in spain then moved to a real league and was exposed for being another figment of our imagination
— murãt de souza 🇧🇷 (@onthervnmvrvt) December 6, 2022
Carlos Soler and Busquets missed for Spain, allowing Madrid-born and raised Achraf Hakimi to step up and score the winning spot kick.
Scenes. Limbs.
Born in Madrid he knocks Spain out!! 🇲🇦🇪🇸
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) December 6, 2022
Achraf Hakimi wins the penalty shoot-out with a panenka to see Spain out of the competition! 😲#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/QWWynN6821
Achraf Hakimi was born and raised in Madrid to Moroccan parents, spent the first years of his life in Spain, and rejected approaches from Spain to play for the Morocco national team.
— Zach Lowy (@ZachLowy) December 6, 2022
Today, he scored a panenka penalty against Spain to send Morocco to the quarterfinals. pic.twitter.com/w5bMINAmbz
ACHRAF HAKIMI. 🐧🫶🏽👑
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) December 6, 2022
Achraf Hakimi celebrating with his mother after defeating Spain in the Round of 16 is everything ❤️🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/XPiBNtHpNc
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 6, 2022
With this win, Walid Regragui became the first African manager to lead a nation into the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
1 - Morocco coach Walid Regragui has become the first ever African manager to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. Pioneer. #MORSPA pic.twitter.com/3tLWzvuOff
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) December 6, 2022
Morocco are World Cup quarter-finalists for the first time ever. Only the fourth African team to reach this stage of the competition. The only AFCON team to win a penalty shootout in WC history. Morocco’s Golden Generation is shining bright. Historic. pic.twitter.com/d0oAgpYWv2
— VERSUS (@vsrsus) December 6, 2022