The joke doing the rounds when it became clear that Morocco would be playing Spain at this stage of the tournament was along the lines of, ‘the winner gets Andalucia.’
For years, the North African nation has been demanding back parts of its lands that Spain colonised, including two cities within its borders which are still Spanish, and Luis Enrique’s players received a taste of what their own country’s troops had faced during that long fight for nationhood.
They stepped out into a war zone: a shrill, piercing blizzard of whistles which lasted for as long as Spain kept the ball and revealed, so often in the process, the aimless nature of that possession.
Morocco caused another World Cup upset by knocking Spain out of the World Cup last-16
An energetic man with the number 91 on the back of his replica Atlas Lions top was, literally, the band-leader, conducting two drummers and a sea of Moroccan fans as they chanted, glancing anxiously over his shoulder when his side occasionally broke out and threatened.
Enrique, in brown chinos and brilliant white shoes, appeared unmoved by all this but he wasn’t the one having to contend with Moroccans going at it like their lives depended on it. As his players were vigorously dispossessed – Achraf Hakimi up-ending 19-year-old Pedri and Hakim Ziyech delivering something equally emphatic to Jordi Alba – you wondered about the ethics of sending those boys into this.
The challenge called out for something dynamic, unexpected and world class but Spain stuck to the template. They tried and tried, passed and passed but they were as pale as their sky blue shirts.
The Moroccans were going at it like their lives depended on it as Spain dominated possession
The warriors on this field were Moroccan and they were ready for war against the Spanish
When Xavi and Iniesta were with Sergio Busquets at the nexus of this team, Spain were breaking the lines and the rules of that template but the team those two left behind played in the pre-ordained straight lines. That doesn’t win you World Cups. It can also bring you the jeopardy of penalties, which are entering the Spanish national consciousness in a way that England well knows. Spain have exited three successive tournaments this way.
The warriors on this field were all Moroccan. Sofiane Boufali, toying with Marcus Llorente on the left touchline in the first half. Chelsea’s Ziyech, whose reinstatement by coach Walid Regragui has been more than vindicated. Noussair Mazraoui, of Bayern Munich, who gave Ferran Torres, an intended outlet on the Spanish right, one hell of a beating.
And then there was the relentless Azzedine Ounnahi, a defender with Angers, who currently prop up France’s Ligue 1. Enrique could identify him only as ‘the number 8’ last night but he knew what he’d seen. ‘He didn’t stop running,’ Enrique said. ‘He must be utterly destroyed.’
Not much of an aesthetic, perhaps, but certainly heart. And that’s how it is with this squad: an extraordinary diaspora of players, from Netherlands, France, Canada and Spain, who have been turned into crusaders.
Luis Enrique called on heavy artillery to break down Morocco’s defence but failed
‘Before this World Cup we had a lot of problems,’ Regragui said, after he was applauded into the press conference room on Tuesday night.
‘Some players were born in Europe. Some were born in Morocco. Some of the guys here in this room asked if we didn’t like players from Morocco and why don’t play with guys born in Morocco?
‘But they showed today that everyone – every player – is Moroccan when he plays for Morocco. When they come with their passport, they want to die for their country.’
It certainly looked that way.
Morocco goalkeeper Bono made two saves in the penalty shootout to send Spain packing
Spain’s players cut dejected figures after failing to score a single penalty in the shootout
Enrique was resigned to the shoot-out when he removed substitute Nico Williams, the most dynamic Spaniard on the field, just before the end. He would have known that his takers would be up against Yassine Bounou, the 31-year-old whose career has gone from strength to strength since joining Sevilla from Girona.
Bounou talked to himself in the moments before Spain’s shooters stepped up, summoning motivation for what proved the night of his life.
His three saves left it to Achraf Hakimi to take the tournament’s last surviving African country through.
That’s the 24-year-old full-back who was born in Madrid, does not speak a word of Moroccan Arabic and had his multi-lingual coach translated questions into Spanish for him, after Morocco’s previous win. During all the struggles for nationhood, Morocco did not once imagine Spain would be quite so useful.