The final day of the round of 16 concludes Tuesday at the World Cup when Morocco faces Spain, and Portugal goes head-to-head with Switzerland for the final two spots in the quarterfinals.
The results will be decided on the field, but for Spain and Morocco, the game will be played against the backdrop of the long and complex relationship between two border nations separated by the Strait of Gibraltar.
As Morocco advanced through this tournament, the national team captivated both its fans at home and Qatari, Saudi and Tunisians fans in Doha as the last Arab team still playing. Spain opened the World Cup with a 7-0 win over Costa Rica, followed by a 1-1 draw with Germany. The 2-1 loss to Japan in the final game of group play was tense as La Roja fluctuated between in and out of advancing into the next round because its fate was also tied to other results.
“We didn’t come just to say ‘oh, we almost got close’,” Regragui said. “We need to get the results as all the European or South American teams do. We need to emulate them.”
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