Twilight for the last of Spain's champs

Sergio Busquets stood in the center circle, hands on hips, a blank look on his face.

He reached soccer's top step with Spain and now had been stung by La Roja's third straight elimination from a major tournament on penalties, this time 3-0 to Morocco after a 0-0 draw Tuesday in the last 16 of the World Cup.

The first World Cup held in an Arab nation has produced the Arab world's first quarterfinalist. Morocco became only the fourth African country to reach the quarterfinals at the biggest soccer tournament in the world by beating Spain 3-0 in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw through extra time.

Spain has become a team of the past, its passing game passé.

"What we did was dominate the game but we lacked the goal, that is the reality," Spain coach Luis Enrique said through a translator, accepting defeat without anger or expressions of sorrow. "There is no point in punishing oneself."

Now 34, Busquets contributed to Spain's demise.

Morocco had taken a 1-0 lead in the shootout when Pablo Sarabia put his attempt off a post, and Carlos Soler's effort was blocked by diving goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, keeping the Moroccans ahead 2-0. Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon saved Badr Benoun's effort, and Bounou leaped to his right and batted away Busquets' penalty. Achraf Hakimi followed with the winner.

"It's always a coin toss. This time we got tails," Busquets said. "We missed the first three penalties, and then it's very difficult to go through."

Four years ago, Busquets didn't take a penalty in the shootout loss to Russia, also in the last 16. Last year, he hooked a shot and hit a post with the opening kick as Spain beat Switzerland in the European Championship quarterfinals.

One by one, Spain's greatest generation has aged out of the national team, the defensive duo of Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, the steady superiority of goalkeeper Iker Casillas and the dazzling duo of the midfield, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez.

Of the 2012 European champions, only Busquets in defensive midfield and leftback Jordi Alba remain.

Spain and its Barcelona core group made "tiki-taka" a style emulated around the globe and that style has lived on. Spain loves the ball, but the opponents have figured out how to neutralize.

If games were decided by passes or possession, Spain would be en route to another title. The Spaniards completed 988 of 1,063 passes to 238 of 331 for the Moroccans. They had 63 percent possession to 21 percent for Morocco with 16 percent contested.

Spain didn't look like itself even before the opening kickoff. Known for red jerseys, the Spaniards were the visiting team and had to wear alternate light blue jerseys because the Moroccans were in red.

Busquets wore the captain's armband, the leader and senior statesman. He came up through Barcelona's La Masia and made his league debut in September 2008, just months after Spain beat Germany for its first European title since 1964.His national team debut was that April and he helped Spain win its first World Cup in 2010 and then another European Championship in 2012. Busquets was picked for the World Cup All-Star team and the Euro 2012 team of the tournament.

He made his 143rd international appearance against Morocco, third behind Sergio Ramos' 180 and Casillas' 167, and with his 17th World Cup appearance he tied those two for the most among Spaniards.

Luis Enrique and a pair of Moroccans tried to console Busquets. He remained in the center circle for a full four minutes before heading to an on-field television interview. Busquets wouldn't address his national team future.

"Now the important thing is the team and not me," he said. "It's a difficult night. We'll pick ourselves up and use it as a learning experience. We're in a good dynamic, with young people. This is going to make them stronger."

The Moroccans were playing in only their second knockout game at a World Cup, an event which is being held in the Middle East for the first time in its nearly 100-year history.

"Right now is a special moment for all Africa, for all the Arab countries, for all the Muslims around this world," Morocco midfielder Azzedine Ounahi said.

"You try to make them happy, try to make ourselves happy. And I think it goes quite well."

The World Cup in Qatar is the first to be played in the Arab world and only the second to be held in Asia. The tournament began with one of the biggest upsets in history when Saudi Arabia beat two-time champion Argentina.

The Saudis were eliminated, as were host Qatar and Tunisia, in the group stage. That left Morocco as the Arab world's standard bearer.

"I'm very proud of my fans, of my people and Arabic people," said Morocco coach Walid Regragui, who is the first African to coach an African team to the quarterfinals. "Also because I think you have Qatari people here, maybe Algerian people, Tunisian people, Arabic people and African people."

Paris Saint-Germain fullback Achraf Hakimi, who was born in Madrid and previously played for Real Madrid, converted the deciding penalty in the shootout. Abdelhamid Sabiri and Hakim Ziyech, who returned to the national team after a dispute with the previous coach, also scored.

Morocco has been the biggest surprise of the tournament and will next face Portugal in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Agencies Via Xinhua