Morocco beat Spain on penalties to qualify for first ever World Cup quarter final

Africa’s only hope, Morocco beat Spain on penalties to qualify for first ever World Cup quarter final

Morocco became only the fourth African country to reach the quarterfinals at the World Cup by beating Spain 3-0 in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw through extra time.

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Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana are the only other African nations to reach the World Cup quarterfinals. None of the three advanced to the semi-finals.

The Moroccans were playing in only their second knockout game at a World Cup.

Achraf Hakimi, who was born in Spain converted the deciding penalty with a cheecky panenka. Abdelhamid Sabiri and Hakim Ziyech, who returned to the national team after a dispute with the previous coach, also scored.

Morocco has been the biggest surprise of the tournament and will next face Portugal in the quarterfinals on Saturday.