Yassine Bounou of Morocco attributes his remarkable World Cup penalty-saving feats against Spain on Tuesday to a combination of luck and intuition.
In the 3-0 shootout victory, the Sevilla goalkeeper stopped two of Spain’s penalties, helping his team advance to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time ever.
The match had finished goalless after extra-time.
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“You know penalties, it’s a little bit of intuition, a little bit of luck,” Bounou told beIN Sports.
“We won, that’s the most important thing. Hats off to the whole team, they did the job, it was incredible.
“It’s not easy to stay focused for 120 minutes, against a Spanish team that dominates the ball well, who has possession.
“When you live moments like this, sometimes it’s hard to realise it. We will try to avoid the noise around us, stay focused on ourselves, on our job, our recovery.”
Morocco, the last African side and only remaining Arab team left in the tournament, will face Portugal or Switzerland in the quarter-finals in Qatar.
“I’m so happy for the team — they did a great job all through the game,” said Bounou.
“We understood (how to play) the game from the start, so I’m so happy for this win.”
Morocco fans packed Education City Stadium and vastly outnumbered Spain supporters, creating an intimidating and impressive atmosphere.
Bounou was also grateful for the support from home.
“We felt the support of our fans in Morocco and elsewhere, and that gave us momentum in the stadium,” the goalkeeper told reporters.
“On behalf of all the players, I want to thank the fans who helped us in this task.
“I congratulate all the players and I offer this gift to all the Moroccan people.”
