LIVE MAR 0-0 ESP, Morocco vs Spain, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 : Round of 16 updates

33’

Save! Morocco switches play and then Mazraoui makes a forward run and shoots from outside the box, forcing a good save by Simon. En-Nesyri follows up as Simon fails to grab it initially, but Simon soon gets a grip over it.

29’

After two quick attacks from Spain, Morocco is looking to ease out the pressure by playing from the back as Moroccan fans cap their way to support its team in the World Cup round of 16.

Chance for Spain!

A defensive error from Morocco sees Spain attack on the counter. Asensio receives a cross and passes to Gavi, who shoots, only to see it saved by Amrabat. Asensio shoots on the follow-up and it hits the bar and the linesman raises the fag. The goal would not have stood either way.

22’

Boufal gets the ball into the final third with another dribble past Llorente. The Atletico player has tries to fil in for Azpilicueta and Carvajal, but now the Lions looks to be rounding him well enough.

20’

Morocco looks on sing with fluid passes, Boufal beating three defenders on the left, then switches the play with a long cross to his right. Spain’s attempt to intercept goes in vain as Morocco gets the ball back and Hakimi crosses in the centre, only to see Laporte head the ball out of danger.

18’

Spain tries the long ball approach with Aymeric Laporte sailing in a long ball got Jordi Alba, but too much force on it sees it end up in the gloves of Bounou.

17’

Morocco’s high press gets it trapped in Spain’s off-side trap and Spain gets the ball rolling with a quick free kick.

15’

Time for Morocco to start another attack. Boufal carries the ball from the midfield to the final third, passes to Mazraoui, who crosses for En-Nesyri in the centre. Unai Simon jumps to intercept and stops that attack.

12’

Achraf Hakimi takes the free kick as a left-footed curler, which rifled past the target, inches away from goal. That ball was travelling! And as the ball goes out of play, Spain and Unai Simon breathe a sigh of relief.

10’

Boufal tries to attack on the counter, but Llorente and Gavi get to him and the latter gifts a free-kick to the Atlas Lions.

8’

Spain is forced into its own half, as it tries to exploit the Moroccan defence using small passes. And almost gets successful as Torres dribbles through into the box, but Gavi eventually concedes a foul for a Moroccan free-kick to end that development.

6’

Morocco tries to in attack, with a long ball along the left wing. Boufal tries to beat Llorente, but fails as the right-back looks to impress in his first start for Spain in this World Cup.

4’

Dani Olmo is looking the same dangerous winger as he has throughout the tournament. He has filled in well for Oyarzabal as Enrique has proved a younger side can show much more promise, so far in the tournament.

2’

Morocco with some early pressing in the opening minutes of the first-half.

KICK-OFF!!

Spain and Morocco kick-off their Round of 16 match at the Education City Stadium. Spain starts in its away kit from right to left, while Morocco starts from the other end, in its home kit.

FORM GUIDE: Morocco vs Spain:

Morocco is unbeaten in the World Cu so far, with one draw and two wins and its last loss came in June this year, to the USA in an international friendly.

Spain, on the other hand, comes into the match after a loss to Japan in its last group stage game. It has three wins, a loss and a draw in its last five matches.

Morocco vs Spain head-to-head:

This will be the fourth clash between Morocco and Spain, and Morocco has not won any of the previous three clashes. Spain has won twice and the only draw between them was in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, four years ago.

Morocco has scored four goals while Spain has scored six, in the clashes before this FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 round of 16 match.

MAR vs ESP H2H:

Matchday trivia!

Aged 18 years and 123 days Gavi 🇪🇸 is the youngest player to start a knockout match at the FIFA World Cup since Pele in the 1958 final (17y 249d).

LINE-UPS!

Morocco: Yassine Bounou; Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd, Romain Saiss (capt), Noussair Mazraoui; Sofyan Amrabat, Azzedine Ounahi, Selim Amallah; Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri, Sofiane Boufal

Spain: Unai Simon; Marcos Llorente, Rodri Hernandez, Aymeric Laporte, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets (capt), Gavi, Pedri; Ferran Torres, Marco Asensio, Dani Olmo

Spain coach Luis Enrique gave his team a unique assignment following a penalty shootout loss to Italy at last year’s European Championship.

“I told my players they have homework ahead of the World Cup. You need to take at least 1,000 penalties with your club,” Luis Enrique recounted Monday. “We can’t just work on it in our training camp with the national team.”

While Spain is hoping it won’t come down to a shootout against Morocco in the round of 16 on Tuesday, at least the team is well prepared if it does get to that point.

Spain was also eliminated in a penalty shootout at the 2018 World Cup, by host Russia.

“It doesn’t just depend on luck. It’s a moment of the highest pressure. If you’ve trained for that often, then the way you take a penalty will improve,” Luis Enrique said. “Obviously you cannot train for the pressure and the tension. But it’s manageable. You can cope with that pressure.”

Ferran Torres converted a penalty for Spain in its opening 7-0 win over Costa Rica.

Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón saved two penalties in a shootout win over Switzerland before the loss to Italy at Euro 2020.

“The goalkeepers are ready, too. You’ve seen it in our training sessions,” Luis Enrique said through a translator. “It’s homework that we’ve taken into account.”

Morocco has been one of the biggest surprises of the tournament by winning a difficult group ahead of 2018 finalist Croatia and 2018 semifinalist Belgium.

Morocco conceded only one goal in its three group matches and the team has big support in Qatar as the last of the four Arab qualifiers still playing — and now the last African team, too, after Senegal was eliminated by England on Sunday.

“Everyone wants to come to Doha,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui, who only took over his team in August. “We could fill two stadiums.”

As close neighbors, there are also a lot of ties between Morocco and Spain.

Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and striker Youssef En-Nesyri both play in Spain for Sevilla. Talented right back Achraf Hakimi, a Paris Saint-Germain player, was born in Madrid. Regragui played in Spain with Racing Santander.

Many of Morocco’s players speak Spanish and the team’s medical staff is Spanish.

“Morocco is a country for which we have a great relationship,” Luis Enrique said. “It’s a festival of football.”

Spain also met Morocco in the teams’ final group game in 2018, which ended 2-2.

“They play a possession game, which is very difficult for the opponent but also for people watching,” Regragui said. “Tak, tak, tak, tak, tak until the players are tired.”

For inspiration, Morocco is looking to Japan’s win over Spain in the final set of group games, when Japan had only 17% of the possession.

“We need to have a strong head. We need to accept that they’re going to play a possession game,” Regragui said. “Spain won’t know what to do with all that ball possession — that’s our plan.”

The winner will face either Portugal or Switzerland for a spot in the semifinals.

(via AP)

MAR vs ESP Predicted lineups:

Morocco: Bounou; Hakimi, Saiss, Aguerd, Mazraoui; Ounahi, Amrabat, Sabiri; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal Spain: Simon; Alba, Laporte, Rodri, Carvajal; Gavi, Busquets, Pedri; Olmo, Morata, Torres

When will the Morocco vs Spain Round of 16 match kick-off?

The Morocco vs Spain Round of 16 match will kick-off at 8:30 pm IST, December 6.

Where will the Morocco vs Spain Round of 16 match kick-off?

The Morocco vs Spain Round of 16 match will kick-off at Stadium 974.

Where can you watch the Morocco vs Spain Round of 16 match in India?

The Morocco vs Spain Round of 16 match will be telecasted live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD. On Android and well as iOS, the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be live streamed on JioCinema.

Where can you watch the Morocco vs Spain Round of 16 match outside India?

Argentina – Live Stream: Telemundo

United States – TV: FOX, Telemundo; Live Stream: fuboTV, Fox Sports app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo

Canada – TV: CTV, TSN; Live Stream: fuboTV, TSN app

United Kingdom – TV: BBC One; Live Stream: BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Website

Australia – TV: SBS; Live Stream: SBS On Demand

New Zealand – TV: Sky Sports; Live Stream: Sky Sport

Malaysia – TV: RTM, Astro; Live Stream: Astro Go

Singapore – TV: Mediacorp Channel 5; Live Stream: StarHub TV+, IPTV, Singtel TV

Hong Kong – TV: BeIN Sports, ITV; Live Stream: Now TV, ViuTV

Nigeria – SuperSport and Showmax Pro.

Get all the results for the FIFA World Cup 2022 here: Full list of all matches, scores, results, goalscorers