Spain KNOCKED OUT of World Cup on penalties as brave Morocco progress - 5 talking points

Morocco progressed into the quarter-final of the World Cup to book a mouth-watering tie against Portugal or Switerzerland after beating Spain on penalties.

In a cagey affair, Morocco started the game on the front foot with an intent to press and cause Spain some problems. But once Luis Enrique's side got hold of the ball, they dominated possession and Morocco decided to sit in a compact shape and they made it hard for Spain to create many chances at all in the first-half.

Dani Olmo had Spain's best opportunity midway through the second period with a ferocious free-kick but the Morocco goalkeeper did well to palm the ball away from safety. Opportunities were few and far between as the game drew to a close - meaning extra-time would be played for the second time at the tournament.

Morocco then came the closest to opening the scoring in the first-half of extra-time through Walid Cheddira as he ran clean through on goal. It was a fine move from the Moroccans but substitute Cheddira fired his effort straight at Unai Simon - to the frustration of the majority of the fans inside the stadium.

After a barrage of attacks from Spain towards the end of the game, Morocco held out for penalties. And they were right to do so as the North Africans ran out 3-0 winners from the spot with Hakim Ziyech, Abdelhamid Sabiri and Achraf Hakimi scoring the decisive kicks.

Amrabat sends Liverpool transfer message

Liverpool have been heavily linked with a move for Morocco's Sofyan Amrabat in recent weeks after a string of impressive performances from the Fiorentina star during the World Cup. The 26-year-old produced another colossal display in front of the back-four and, for large spells, helped stop Spain's midfield from playing passes into the forward areas.

Gavi, Sergio Busquets and Pedri possess so much quality on the ball, and Morocco needed to stay compact to ensure Spain didn't dominate in the final third. Amrabat's pressing, intelligence and knack to make a tackle will no doubt impress potential suitors with the midfielder tipped to make the switch to the Premier League.

Tottenham are reportedly keen on signing Amrabat, while Liverpool have expressed an interest in the player with Jurgen Klopp ready to bolster his midfield options. Former Wales forward John Hartson was impressed with Ambabat after he made a last-ditch block to deny Nico Williams' goal bound effort. He told ITV : "Amrabat has been outstanding for Morocco."

Blunt Spain

Question marks were raised surrounding Spain's lack of goalscoring threat before the tournament given their poor record in front of goal. But Luis Enrique's side appeared to quash all those fears by thrashing Costa Rica 7-0 in their opening World Cup game. However, they struggled against Germany and Japan to reignite those worries.

And Spain failed to deceive throughout most of their clash with Morocco. In actual fact, the Spaniards recorded just one shot in the first-half - the lowest they have had registered in 45 minutes at a World Cup match since 1966. Spain dominated possession in both halves but didn't have the creativity to break down a compact Morocco unit as the game went straight to extra-time.

This continued into the additional 30 minutes as Spain tried to force a winner, and although they looked brighter in extra-time, they lacked quality and guile to break the deadlock. Pablo Sarabia almost scored in the 120th minute but crashed the outside of the post.

Intimidating Morocco atmosphere

There was a huge representation of Morocco fans inside the Education City Stadium - and they didn't disappoint by displaying a raucous atmosphere throughout the game. Behind both sets of goals, masses of Moroccans belted out the national anthem and were spotted roaring as their team attacked and went forward.

But they weren't just getting behind Walid Regragui's men. Morocco supporters whistled loudly and booed every time Spain had the ball, something that has been present at each of their matches. They did the same to Croatia, Belgium and Canada, and it certainly helped as they topped the group.

One fan on Twitter said: "Moroccan fans in the stadium are on another level. So loud & intimidating and those whistles and jeering every time the ball is with Spain. Crazy atmosphere."

Stadium troubles

Before kick-off, trouble was present outside the stadium as fans tried to get in, with Qatari riot police and security filmed pushing a crowd of supporters alongside a chain-link fence.

It is unclear what caused the issues but a video posted on social media showed officials shouting "get back" as they moved fans away from an entrance to the stadium. Some fans could be heard screaming, with images showing women and children caught up in the incident.

There were initial claims, made without firm evidence, that ticketless supporters had been attempting to get into the stadium. Later footage showed some fans with tickets being allowed through a checkpoint.

Penalties decide tie

It proved to be a close tie between two well-matched teams and penalties were needed to decide the outcome of the game.

Abdelhamid Sabiri took the first spot-kick for Morocco and buried it into the corner of the net. Spain were then put on to the back foot when Sarabia's penalty struck the post, before Ziyech put Morocco two goals ahead.

Carlos Soler had his penalty saved to put Morocco firmly in the advantage. Although Morocco missed their third penalty, it didn't matter as Sergio Busquets saw his spot-kick saved to put them on the brink of qualification. Then Hakimi produced a Panenka to win the game and book a mammoth tie against Portugal or Switzerland.