In the last 16 of the World Cup, Morocco eliminated the mighty Spain with a penalty shootout, in which Yessinee Pauno saved two penalties, accomplishing the team's way to promotion, and was elected as the best player after the match. In this World Cup, Yessinee Pauno defended for 300 minutes without conceding a single goal, becoming a solid backing for Morocco to create history.
Yessinee Paunu, 31, was born in Canada to Moroccan parents. Playing in Spain since his childhood, he has been playing for Spanish clubs for the past ten years and has played for Xavier since 2019, so he knows the Spanish team like the back of his hand. After the group stage exit, the team leader, Gracchi, was thrown up in celebration by the players and the honor eventually fell to Yessinee Paunu. After being voted best player, he said, "I felt the love and support of the fans and this victory is a gift to the Moroccan people. I don't fully realize what I have created yet, but I am very happy and now need to focus on preparing for the next game as soon as possible."
Morocco has only conceded one goal in four matches at this World Cup, and that was against Canada, where they lost points on a teammate's goal. Against strong teams like Belgium, Croatia and Spain, they also shut out their opponents, and even achieved "zero goals conceded" in penalty shootouts! Yessini Pauno, who started all the matches except for the one against Belgium due to injury, is undoubtedly the team's biggest contributor in this year's World Cup.
