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Enrique plunges Spain role into doubt after World Cup disaster against Morocco

mirror.co.uk, 6 December 2022, 19:09
Luis Enrique's Spain are OUT of the World Cup in Qatar after suffering a penalty shootout defeat to Walid Regragui's Morocco at the Education City Stadium on Tuesday Luis Enrique was humble as his side were knocked out of the World Cup on Tuesday

Luis Enrique has told reporters he will discuss his long-term future next week after Spain's surprise World Cup exit on Tuesday.

Enrique's side were knocked out of the tournament in Qatar after losing a penalty shootout to unfancied Morocco. Spain had more shots on target and nine corners - as well as the bulk of the possession - but couldn't break down Walid Regragui's stubborn team.

Morocco will now face the winners of Portugal's tie with Switzerland in the quarter-finals on Saturday. Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped by Fernando Santos for the game on Tuesday after his outburst during Portugal's previous fixture against South Korea on Friday.

"Next week we will speak and discuss about my future, now it's not the right moment," Enrique told reporters after the shock result. "I'm the one responsible."

On his team's performance, the Spain boss added: "I am more than happy with my team. They represented my theory and my style. I can only praise them."

Enrique refused to complain about the result and believes upsets are part of football. He said: "We tried to win. I cannot complain about Morocco. This was a beautiful game for children all over the world. Whether you like it or not this is football, this is life."

What did you make of Spain's defeat to Morocco? Let us know in the comments below!

Spain were expected to beat Morocco at the Education City Stadium after impressive performances against Costa Rica and Germany. They boast one of the tournament's best young squads, which includes the likes of Pedri, Gavi, Ansu Fati and Alejandro Balde.

Yet Spain's 2-1 defeat to Japan in their final group game gave Morocco hope of an unlikely victory in the last 16. Tuesday's result means Regragui, who was appointed in August, is the first African manager to lead a country to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

"You can see and feel how much it means to this nation," former Chelsea player Pat Nevin told BBC Radio 5 Live. "No one would have thought they could get this far. Can they do it again? I would be suspecting this might be their last win but so what!"

To add insult to Spain's injury, Madrid-born Achraf Hakimi was the scorer of the winning penalty. The Paris Saint-Germain defender found the net by emulating Czech legend Antonin Panenka and chipping the ball down the middle of Unai Simon's goal.

Enrique will be trying to figure out where Spain's campaign went wrong. Spain have failed to win a major tournament since their triumph at Euro 2012 and have endured many surprise results since their "Golden Generation" faded into the history books.

Spain crashed out of the 2014 World Cup in the group stage and were knocked out by hosts Russia four years later. Their recent record at the Euros is slightly better - losing to Italy in the last 16 in 2016 and again in the semi-finals five years later.

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