Spain took three penalties and scored none. In the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Morocco’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved two and watched a third hit the post. Morocco won the shoot-out 3-0, and a few days later became the first African country to reach a World Cup semi-final.
Born in Montreal
Bounou was born in Montreal, Canada, in 1991, to Moroccan parents, and grew up in Morocco. He came through the youth system of Wydad Casablanca, one of Morocco’s biggest clubs, before moving to Spain.
A Spanish career
In Spain he played for Atlético Madrid’s reserve side, then Real Zaragoza and Girona, before joining Sevilla. At Sevilla he won the Europa League in 2020 and 2023, and in 2022 he won the Zamora Trophy for the goalkeeper with the best record in La Liga.
The Spain shoot-out
The round-of-16 match against Spain ended 0-0 after extra time. In the shoot-out, Pablo Sarabia hit the post, and Bounou saved from Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets. Achraf Hakimi scored the winning penalty with a cheeky chip. Bounou had played much of his career against Spanish players and seemed to know exactly where they would shoot.
The semi-final
Morocco then beat Portugal 1-0 in the quarter-final, with Youssef En-Nesyri’s header. They lost 2-0 to France in the semi-final and finished fourth after losing the third-place match to Croatia. It was the best World Cup run in African history.
A defensive wall
Morocco conceded only one goal in their first five matches at the tournament, and that was an own goal. Bounou’s calm presence and the team’s organisation under coach Walid Regragui were central to the run.
Saudi Arabia
In 2023 Bounou joined Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, part of the wave of high-profile signings in the Saudi Pro League.
Bono
Fans call him “Bono”, a shortened version of his surname. His humble manner and the image of him celebrating with his teammates and his family in Qatar made him one of the faces of that World Cup.
A continent celebrates
Morocco’s run united fans across Africa and the Arab world. In Accra, Lagos, Dakar and Cairo, people gathered to watch the Atlas Lions, and celebrations spilled into the streets of Moroccan cities and diaspora neighbourhoods in Europe. For many Africans, Morocco’s semi-final was a shared achievement, proof that an African team could compete with the best in the world.
African teams had reached the World Cup quarter-finals before: Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010. Morocco went one step further, and the goalkeeper who stopped Spain was the reason they got the chance.
