World Cup Shocker: Morocco’s Bounou Outsmarts Spain’s Goalkeeper in Penalty Shootout

14 June 2023 – byPrince · 1 min read

Moroccan goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, revealed in a recent statement how he "took advantage" of the naivety of the Spanish goalkeeper, Unai Simon, before the penalty shootout in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

"I talked to the Spanish goalkeeper (Unai Simón) before the penalty shootout of the World Cup. He had a list of our players with indications on how they were going to take the penalties. He told me: ’I’m going to leave the paper behind the goal. Don’t touch it.’ I told him: ’Don’t worry. I won’t touch it. But hide it well,’" said Bounou.

The Moroccan goalkeeper kept his word, but used this information to the advantage of his team, asking Sabiri to change the way he was going to take his penalty. And it didn’t fail. "When it was Sabiri’s turn, I told him to change his shot. To hit it elsewhere. He agreed and took his penalty," Bounou confides.

The rest is known. Morocco won this match and qualified for the quarter-finals, with a Yassine Bounou who was exceptional in goal. The Moroccan goalkeeper saved two Spanish penalties and was a key player for the Atlas Lions in the rest of the competition, until reaching the semi-finals against France.