The Morocco–Spain football rivalry is a highly competitive sports rivalry that exists between the national football teams of the two countries, as well as their respective sets of fans. Unique among other rivalries, the rivalry between Morocco and Spain has been characterised by their allegiances to different confederations, with Morocco belonging to Africa while Spain belongs to Europe.[1] However, Morocco and Spain are close neighbours, having been separated only by the Strait of Gibraltar and Spain's autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla lie in North Africa, in particular to Morocco.
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| Location | Morocco (CAF) Spain (UEFA) |
|---|---|
| Teams |  Morocco Spain |
| First meeting | 12 November 1961 Morocco 0–1 Spain |
| Latest meeting | 6 December 2022 Morocco 0–0 Spain; Morocco won 3-0 on penalties |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 4 |
| Most wins | Spain (2) |
| Largest victory |
|
| Largest goal scoring | Spain 3–2 Morocco (23 November 1961) |
.svg)  Morocco Spain | |
History
editDue to their proximity, relations between Morocco and Spain have very long and complicated chapters, which saw Spain and Morocco once parts of the Roman Empire. Morocco, as the staging point of many indigenous Islamic dynasties, which would then conquer Spain as part of Al-Andalus, under the reign of the Umayyad Caliphate, Almoravid dynasty and Almohad Caliphate, both left significant cultural landmarks in Spain.[2] The rise of Catholic powers in the north enabled the Reconquista, slowly swallowed Muslim-dominated territories before annexing the Emirate of Granada in 1492, known as the Granada War.[3] Muslims and Jews were expelled from Spain in the aftermath of the war, and the two maintained complicated relations.
In the 19th century, following the Scramble of Africa, the Rif, Cape Juby and Western Sahara became Spanish Protectorates which resulted in the partition of Morocco between Spain and France.[4] A major rebellion broke out in 1921 led by Abdelkrim almost resulted in the expulsion of Spanish forces out of the Rif, before a joint Franco-Spanish expeditionary force would drive out the Riffians and restore Spanish control in 1926.[5] Morocco would later gain independence in 1956, and Spain would renounce all these occupied territories, except for the disputed Western Sahara and the two cities of Ceuta and Melilla; Spain later vacated Western Sahara in 1975 after the Green March, enabling Moroccan troops to invade and occupy two-third of the territory.[6] However, the obstacles over Ceuta and Melilla sometimes flared up tensions between the two states.[7][8]
Matches
editDue to deeply intertwined and complex historical relations, Morocco and Spain have developed a long-standing rivalry. However, because they are affiliated to different confederations, Morocco and Spain often do not have much opportunities to face each other. The two first faced each other at the 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification, where Spain triumphed in both matches in highly tense and ferocious atmospheres, 1–0 away in Casablanca and 3–2 home in Madrid to qualify for the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile.[9]
It took over 57 years since the two first met each other to finally play again, this time in group B of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where an already-eliminated Morocco stunned Spain with a fierce performance, holding Spain to a 2–2 draw, with Spain secured their first place at the dying minutes in a match filled with controversies surrounding VAR.[10][11] Just four years later, in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Morocco and Spain would again clash at the World Cup, this time at the round of 16; Spain largely dominated but failed to penetrate against a highly organised Moroccan defence, before going down with a 3–0 defeat on penalties to their North African rival.[12]
All four previous meetings between the two nations have been competitive, and none happened in a friendly. Matches between two national teams often resulted in heated and unfriendly sentiment between the two sections of supporters due to deeply intertwined, connected and often troubled historical tie.[1][13][11]
List of matches
edit| No. | Date | Venue | Winner | Score | Morocco scorers | Spain scorers | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 November 1961 | State d'Honneur, Casablanca, Morocco | Spain | 1–0 | Luis del Sol  80'
|
1962 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 2 | 23 November 1961 | Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain | Spain | 3–2 | Sellam Riahi 40' Abdallah Ben Barek 64'
|
Marcelino Martínez 12' Alfredo Di Stéfano 44'Enrique Collar 58'
| |
| 3 | 25 June 2018 | Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad, Russia | Draw | 2–2 | Khalid Boutaïb 14' Youssef En-Nesyri 81'
|
Isco 19' Iago Aspas 90+1'
|
2018 FIFA World Cup |
| 4 | 6 December 2022 | Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar | Draw | 0–0 Morocco won (3–0 p) |
2022 FIFA World Cup |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "A rivalry heated by history - the significance of Morocco's World Cup win over Spain". BBC Sport. 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ Benazizi, Aya. "Moroccan-Spanish Relations Timeline: A Long History of Ups and Downs". www.moroccoworldnews.com. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ "529th anniversary of the conquest of Granada - Granada and Alhambra Official Tour Guide". Przewodnik Granada (in Polish). 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ Miller, Susan Gilson, ed. (2013), "France and Spain in Morocco: The Early Years of the Protectorates (1912–1930)", A History of Modern Morocco, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 88–119, ISBN 978-0-521-81070-8, retrieved 2024-10-18
- ^ "FRANCE, SPAIN AND THE RIF (Rif War, also called the Second Moroccan War 1922-26)". Naval & Military Press. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ "The Green March: A Unique Chapter in Post-Colonial Moroccan History". www.moroccoworldnews.com. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ elDiario.es (21 December 2020). "España convoca a la embajadora de Marruecos por unas declaraciones de su primer ministro sobre Ceuta y Melilla". ElDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ AfricaNews (22 December 2020). "Moroccan Ambassador to Spain summoned over calls for territorial sovereignty talks". Africanews. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ "World Cup 1962 Qualifiers : Spain beats Morocco 3-2 to qualify for 1962 World Cup". athlet.org. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ "Spain 2-2 Morocco: Spain top Group B after dramatic turnaround". Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ a b "Andalusia, Franco and VAR: Why Morocco vs Spain will be spicy". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ "World Cup 2022: Morocco 0-0 Spain (3-0 pens) Achraf Hakimi chips winning penalty to reach quarters". BBC Sport. 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ "Morocco v Spain is more than football rivalry, it exposes historic tension". Retrieved 2024-10-18.