The Atlas Lions of Morocco, after a long and tough game, became the only African team to sail through to the quarterfinals after beating Spain 3-0 on penalty shootout.

After qualifying through to the round of 16 with Senegal, the AFCON champions were eliminated after a disappointing 0-2 loss to the Netherlands, leaving the Moroccans in contention to become world champions.

This victory for the African continent marks the fourth time an African team has reached the quarterfinals since Ghana did so in 2010. The first came from Cameroon in 1990, followed by Senegal in 2002.
Morocco plays Portugal on Saturday, December 10 at 3 PM GMT.