World Cup 2022: Morocco beats Spain becoming first ever Arabic team to reach quarter finals
Morroco made history on Tuesday by handing Spain a crushing defeat at the World Cup.
The North African side won 3 - 0 on penalties after a goalless result on the pitch, becoming the first ever Arabic team in history to reach the final eight stage of the FIFA World Cup.
Morrocan player Achraf Hakimi, who was born and raised in Madrid, scored the decisive penalty which sent Spain out of the tournament. He ran straight to his mother afterwards, kissing and hugging her.
"We are very happy [about] this performance," one Morrocan fan told Euronews correspondent Kawtar Wakil. "It is a moment of history ... we have done something we have not done in 36 years."
Wakil, who is Moroccan, described the win "as a dream come true. They [the squad] made us proud today no matter [if] we win the World Cup or not."
There were wild celebrations across Morocco on Tuesday night, with King Mohammed VI reportedly out on the streets of Rabat celebrating in public.
Huge crowds could be seen in the Moroccan capital as people waved flags and let off flares.
This was only the second time Morocco featured in the knockout stages of the World Cup. In 1986, the North African team reached round 16 of the World Cup in Mexico, losing to Germany 1-0.
Tuesday was the final day of the last 16 stage of the 2022 World Cup. Two European teams -- Portugal and Switzerland -- are fighting it out to see who can secure the last remaining place in the quarter-finals.
Walid Regragui's team will face the winner of this game.
The odds were stacked in the Spanish squad's favour. Spain has never lost in the three last meetings with Morocco - until now.
The game was the second World Cup meeting between Spain and Morroco.
Spanish players could be seen sobbing and looking
Read more on euronews.com
