Spain were regarded by many as one of the favorites to win the World Cup before it began. They had topped a tough UEFA Nations League group, which included Portugal and Switzerland, and went into the World Cup with a team full of world class players and a great manager.
Spain continued to perform exceptionally well, winning their first match 7-0 against Costa Rica, a shocking feat. Although their group was arguably the toughest, they were expected to top if after that match, even after they drew 1-1 against Germany in their next match. They went into their last match, knowing full well that a loss to Japan would result in them not being able to top the group. It would not be in their hands whether or not they progressed to the round of 16. Although Spain had double their opponent’s shots, 83% of possession and 1058 passes (the most in the 2022 FIFA World Cup so far), they lost 2-1. However, Spain was fortunate that Germany beat Costa Rica, resulting in them still progressing through to the next round, 2nd in their group.
Spain had to face Morocco, who were having a fantastic tournament but were still not the favorites to win the match. Although Spain seemed to be dominating the match once again, neither team was able to score, and this continued in extra time. Eventually, the match had to be decided on penalties, which is how Spain were knocked out of the tournament in 2018 as well. However, they did not even manage to score 1 penalty this time. 2 of them were saved by Moroccan keeper Bounou, and one of them hit the post. Achraf Hakimi scored Morocco’s winning penalty and knocked Spain out of the FIFA World Cup.