QATAR FIFA 2022 World Cup: Morocco vs Spain 0-0, Round of 16
After winning against Croatia by 2-1, Morocco will play against Spain in the round of sixteen. Both teams played against each other in the previous edition in a 2-2 draw.
Talking about Spain first, they came to the World Cup as a heavy favourite to win the mega event and started their World Cup campaign perfectly by beating Costa Rica by 7-0. They drew against their fellow European Germany by 1-1 in their second group-stage fixture.
However, they lost against Japan by 1-2 in their third & final group stage game, but in that fixture, Luis Enrique’s most regular players were on rest. With this defeat in the last match, they fell to the second position at the group table with four points, two fewer points than top-ranked Japan.
FIFA 2022 Round of 16 – Morocco vs Spain: Ahead of This Crucial Fixture, Gavi Talked to the Media
“The match against Japan has to serve as a lesson for what is to come. Luckily, that defeat has been resolved and we are clear about what we have to do. We are in the round of 16 and there are some very good teams that haven’t been able to do it. That’s why we have to really think that pressure is a privilege.”
Now, in the round of sixteen, they’ll play against Morocco, who qualified for the round of sixteen without losing a single game and will surely give a tough time to European giants.
FIFA 2022 Round of 16 – Spain Probable Starting XI
Spain National Football Team: Simon, Carvajal, Rodri, Laporte, Alba, Pedri, Busquets, Gavi, Torres, Morata, Olmo
On the other side, Morocco qualified for the knock-out stages after topping their group table by performing brilliantly against the top teams in the world. In their opening group stage fixture, they held the previous edition’s runner-up Croatia at a goalless draw. In their second game, they shocked the world by beating FIFA’s second-ranked European giants Belgium by 2-0.
In their third & final group stage game, they secured three more points against Canada by beating them 2-1. With these brilliant performances, they finished first in their group with seven points, two more than second-ranked Croatia.
Now, in the round of sixteen, they’ll face another giant, Spain, who is one of the favourites to win the World Cup and are equally dangerous despite their loss in the previous game against Japan as Enrique gave rest to most of his regular players in that fixture.
FIFA 2022 Round of 16 – Morocco Probable Starting XI
Morocco National Football Team: Bono, Hakimi, Saiss, Aguero, Mazraoui, Ounahi, Amrabat, Sahiri, Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal
FIFA 2022 Round of 16 – Morocco vs Spain: Match Facts:
* Location: Doha, Qatar
* Stadium: Education City Stadium
* Date: Tuesday 6 December 2022
* Kick-off Time: 15:00 GMT / 10:00 ET / 07:00 PT
FIFA 2022 Round of 16 – Morocco vs Spain: Conclusion
After qualifying for the knock-out stages with above mentioned brilliant results, Morocco will go all in to give another memorable performance against Spain, who, on the other hand, are well equipped at every position and will be able to send them home given their squad depth & strength.
What is FIFA World Cup?
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men’s national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA, the International Federation of Association Football), the sport’s global governing body.
The tournament has been held every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. The format involves a qualification phase, which takes place over the preceding three years, to determine which teams qualify for the tournament phase. In the tournament phase, 32 teams compete for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over about a month. The host nation(s) automatically qualify.
