His name is Yassine Bounou, but the world knows him as Bono. The Moroccan goalkeeper shone this Tuesday against Spain and became the figure of his team to advance to the quarterfinals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Undoubtedly, it will be an unforgettable day, although the goalkeeper stated that he will need "time" to realize the magnitude of the accomplishment.
Bono stopped two penalties in the decisive shootout against Spain (3-0 for the Moroccans after a 0-0 draw), those taken by Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets. Pablo Sarabia hit the post of the Sevilla goalkeeper's goal.
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"When you're in the moment, you don't realize what you just achieved. We are very happy. Now we have to think about what we have ahead," Bono explained at a press conference in Doha, after being chosen as the best player of the match.
"We are happy that things have turned out this way. With time, we will realize what we have achieved," he pointed out.
What is the secret to such a performance in a penalty shootout? According to Bono, it takes "a bit of feeling and luck. It's a matter of sentiment, of sensations. There's not much I can say for the moment. Penalties are like that," he said.
Shortly before, he had answered a similar question in front of the beIN Sports camera: "You know penalties, it's a matter of intuition and a bit of luck. We won and that's the most important thing,".
Bono also celebrated the great support received from the stands of the Education City Stadium in Doha, where the Moroccan fans were more numerous and made themselves heard much more than the Spanish ones.
"We felt the support and affection of all our fans, from Morocco or any other country. This gives us strength to display this football. Thanks to all our teammates. It has been a colossal effort. I applaud them for their work," he concluded.
With information from AFP.
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