Spain’s head coach Luis Enrique warned his team about possible penalty kicks even before the start of the World Cup tournament.
Spain lost to Morocco in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar after a goalless draw in a penalty shootout. Morocco advanced to the top eight for the first time ever.
The Spanish leaders failed Pablo Sarabia, Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets. None of Spain’s players managed to succeed in penalty kicks before the country was already out of the games.
– More than a year ago, at the national team camps, we gave our players homework. They had to shoot at least 1,000 goals in their club teams. We can’t only train them in the national team, Luis Enrique revealed even before the losing match.
The comment seems very awkward now, as Spain performed extremely poorly with commas.
Spain was also eliminated in the penalty shootout against Italy in the summer 2021 European Championship. Luis Enrique didn’t want this to happen again, which is why he insisted his players practice penalty kicks.
– The penalty shootout is not a game of luck. You can practice pulling the ranker. Pressure is always present, but you can still shoot at the goal under pressure. It’s a moment that defines a player, Spain’s head coach said.
International media: “Sensation”
The Morocco match made Luis Enrique’s mouth water. The man’s contract as head coach of the Spanish national team extended until the Qatar Games. PDO
Spain played unimaginative football. It had ball control in the match against Morocco, but not so much dangerous scoring opportunities. La Roja had only one shot on Morocco’s goal.
The international media did not spare Spain from criticism. The French newspaper Le Parisien specifically raised Luis Enrique’s demand for a thousand punches to the top of his criticism.
– Spain doesn’t know what to do with the ball, commented the Spaniard quite rightly El País.
– Moroccan sensation, declared the German Bild.
The hero of Morocco is, of course, Yassine “Bono” Bounou, who plays in Seville and saved three points. Spain’s bets were not of high quality, but Bono managed his own plot in style.
The head coach’s position is also under threat.
– Morocco’s fairytale story – Luis Enrique says goodbye to the World Cup, the Italian TuttoSport title.