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| Yassine Bounou |
5 matches that shaped Yassine Bounou's legendary career
Moroccan international Yassine Bounou, goalkeeper for Saudi club Al Hilal, has once again proven himself to be one of the greatest Arab and African goalkeepers in modern history.
Bono, nicknamed "The Spider," performed exceptionally well at the Club World Cup in the United States and played a pivotal role in Al Hilal's progress to the quarter-finals, with a historic 4-3 victory over Manchester City in the round of 16.
"The goalkeeper is half the team." This saying is often repeated in the world of football, but few goalkeepers have truly proven it as much as Yassine Bounou, who has delivered exceptional performances at various stages, whether with the Moroccan national team, Al Hilal, or his former clubs.
The official FIFA website highlighted five matches that shaped Bono's legendary career, most notably Morocco's match against Spain in the Round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Atlas Lions faced a star-studded Spain team, and the match ended in a goalless draw, forcing the two teams to go to penalty kicks. Here, Bono became a national hero, saving two penalties from Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets, while Pablo Sarabia's shot hit the post after diving in the same corner.
In the same match, Bono saved two dangerous shots during regular time and extra time, keeping a clean sheet and paving the way for a historic achievement: Morocco qualified for the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in its history.
Following his achievement against Spain, Bono continued his heroic performances in the quarter-finals against Portugal, led by the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo, where he made three crucial saves, including a powerful shot from Joao Felix, keeping a clean sheet for the second consecutive match.
Morocco won 1-0, becoming the first Arab and African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals. Bono played a pivotal role in writing this historic chapter by keeping a clean sheet for the second consecutive match in the knockout stages, against some of the world's best stars.
In an exciting match against Real Madrid in the group stage of the 2025 Club World Cup, Bono shone remarkably, saving a penalty kick in the dying seconds to save his team from defeat. He also made five other saves, including four from inside the penalty area against players such as Vinicius Junior, Gonzalo Garcia, and other top players in the world.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw, keeping Al Hilal in contention for the next round. Bono was truly the star of the match, although he didn't win the Man of the Match award, which he did in the next match against Salzburg.
Days after his brilliance against Real Madrid, Yassine Bounou once again donned the mantle of brilliance, saving Al Hilal from an early defeat to Manchester City by making 11 saves, including eight from inside the penalty area, outperforming the English giants' strikers. He also displayed indescribable skill in stopping shots from clear one-on-one situations.
Yassine Bounou kept his team's chances alive, preventing several goals from their opponents, particularly in the first half, which City had a technical advantage. This helped his teammates stage a strong comeback in the second half, before they finished the match with a historic 4-3 victory in extra time.
In one of Bounou's greatest European nights, the Moroccan goalkeeper played a starring role in the 2023 Europa League final against Roma, under the leadership of legendary Portuguese coach José Mourinho. After the two teams tied 1-1 after regular and extra time, Bono contributed to the result by saving two clear chances for the opposing team, forcing the match to a penalty shootout. The Moroccan shone brilliantly, calmly saving penalties from Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibanez, to hand Sevilla their seventh title in their favorite European competition. He also won the Man of the Match award.
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