The third Spanish player to have his kick saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Bono in the penalty shoot-out in the round of 16, midfielder Sergio Busquets, 34, lamented Spain’s elimination from the World Cup, but stated that the negative result will be a lesson for his team.
“Now the important thing is the national team, not me”, said Busquets, avoiding talking about the possibility that the game was his farewell match for the national team. “We have to lift our heads. We have good dynamics, a very young group, and this result has to serve as experience up front.”
The Barcelona player analyzed the match, claiming to have faced a very difficult team. “Morocco’s team was all about defence. Time went by, we wore ourselves out, and they held on very well. Overtime was the same thing. In the end, at the last second, we had a beautiful shot, and on penalties it was cruel “, he lamented.
He also said that Spain were unlucky to reach the goal, which could qualify them for the quarter-finals. “We tried to find an entrance, a space, but we had a lot of difficulty. We lacked a little luck in the last pass, in the last kick. And in penalties it’s always a raffle, we don’t know what will happen.”
One of the Spanish highlights in Qatar, midfielder Pedri also regretted the elimination and said that Spain deserved to have advanced.
“It was decided on penalties, they were very clear about how they wanted to play. We don’t have much more to say in the end. We didn’t win on penalties and we’re going home. I wish someone up there had helped us on penalties. When you give everything. .. The team gave everything and we deserved to go through,” said the 20-year-old Barcelona midfielder.
Surprised in the starting line-up in the match, Marcos Llorente complained about the state of the lawn at the Education City stadium, in Al Rayyan. “You play a great game and you can’t score a goal, and anything can happen on penalties. It was very complicated, they were way behind, and the pitch wasn’t good either.”
Goalkeeper Unai Simón, who saved a penalty kick from Morocco in the penalty shootout, said his team was superior to rivals, but that now there is no point in complaining.
“In the penalty shootout they were superior, and that made them reach the quarterfinals. We are seeing that there are surprises throughout the World Cup, we did not manage to overcome it. We did not expect to be eliminated against Morocco, but it is reality, and we have to back home,” he lamented.
As a seasoned news journalist, I bring a wealth of experience to the field. I’ve worked with world-renowned news organizations, honing my skills as a writer and reporter. Currently, I write for the sports section at News Bulletin 247, where I bring a unique perspective to every story.
