It was all a little too much for Abdelhadi Zaitoun to take, Morocco’s team manager letting the tears tumble as his nerveless spot-kick saw him mobbed by his team-mates.
Zaitoun’s successful kick sealed a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout win against Spain, confirming Morocco as winners of the 2015 World Football Five’s Championship in Dubai last night.
Zaitoun was only supposed to be part of the playing squad in an auxiliary role. As it was, he had the biggest say in the outcome of the second F5WC tournament.
“These are the tears of happiness. I was emotional and felt so happy to have the title,” he said. “I was very calm taking the penalty, but if I didn’t score I would have gone crazy.”
The game went to spot kicks having finished 1-1 after 20 minutes and neither side able to find a winner following extra time.
The Spaniards opened the scoring after just 22 seconds through Adrian Jimeno who swept in a low shot beyond Azeddine Tale.
They controlled the first half, but when Bilal Bickali equalised from Sami El Hamadani’s low centre midway through the second period, the North Africans took charge.
El Hamadani shot over in extra time as Morocco pressed, but they were happy to get to penalties when Zaitoun was sin-binned for deliberate handball a minute from the end.
After six successful penalties, the tournament’s best player, Damian Losada, crashed his off the crossbar, leaving Zaitoun to redeem himself and clinch a fairytale ending.
“The feeling of winning is indescribable,” he said. “I’m the coach. I was not supposed to be play but I had to given the playing conditions. It was fantastic to be with the players.
“They are like my children. They’ve been with me for the best of last 10 years or so and this team has real guts.”
Losada added: “We played a good match but Morocco were the best team in the tournament so we knew it would be very difficult.
“I took the penalty very badly and I knew it. It was unlucky. Penalties are always down to luck.”
Both teams came through enthralling semi-finals, Morocco dumping defending champions Denmark out thanks to star player Badr Zwaki’s decisive goal 30 seconds from the end in a 1-0 win.
