Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman believes it is “a shame” their knockout clash against Morocco is taking place in the round of 32.
The two face off at Estadio Monterrey after Netherlands topped Group F with victory over Tunisia, while Morocco finished second in Group C with a 4-2 win over Haiti in their last group game.
This will be the second time Netherlands and Morocco meet at the World Cup, with the Dutch winning 2-1 in a group stage game in 1994 thanks to goals from Dennis Bergkamp and Bryan Roy.
Netherlands have progressed from seven of their last 10 World Cup knockout round games since 2010, though three of their last five have gone to a penalty shoot-out. Their last saw them lose 4-3 on penalties to Argentina in the 2022 quarter-final.
Koeman is wary of the threat Morocco pose, claiming both sides should have met later on in the tournament.
“It is actually a shame that the match is taking place already, because we are two teams that normally should advance in the tournament,” said Koeman.
“If you lose, you go home, but that applies to the opposing side as well. Now we realise that it is a knockout.
“They have a great attacking team, but Morocco also has weaker points. They also give away space. With our quality on the counter, we can punish that.”
— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) June 29, 2026
Morocco are the third African nation to reach the World Cup knockout stages in consecutive tournaments, after Nigeria (1994 and 1998) and Ghana (2006 and 2010).
The Atlas Lions finished fourth at the 2022 World Cup after becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals.
Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi insisted his side are not lacking in motivation as they look to make a statement win to start the knockout rounds.
“This is our fourth World Cup match; it is a knockout match,” said Ouahbi.
“In the first three matches, we showed that we could handle our opponents very well. They presented us with different challenges, which meant we had to find different solutions.
“I am genuinely convinced that the greatest motivation we have, that the players have, is wearing this shirt and representing this country.
“I believe that with that motivation alone, we can move mountains.”
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