Morocco into last 16 after dramatic shoot-out win against Netherlands

Morocco have reached the World Cup last 16 after a dramatic 3-2 win on penalties against the Netherlands on Monday following a 1-1 draw.

Ismael Saibari scored the decisive goal as he fired into the bottom left corner, while goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen went the wrong way.

Morocco will now face co-hosts Canada on Saturday in Houston for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Saibari was just the right man to complete the task after he scored one goal in each of the three matches in the group stage.

It was a nervy shoot-out with Neil El Aynaoui missing Morocco’s first spot-kick after Teun Koopmeiners had given Netherlands the lead.

Achraf Hakimi hit the post, but Dutch duo Justin Kluivert, who was brought on to take a penalty, and Quinten Timber went on to miss one penalty each.

Crysencio Summerville‘s had his effort saved by Yassine Bounou, paving the way for Saibari to seal the deal, and he delivered it.

The Netherlands became the second European side to be sent home from the World Cup in a matter of hours after Germany were defeated 4-3 in a shoot-out against Paraguay earlier.

Stoppage-time goal kept Morocco alive

Cody Gakpo scored a very emotional opener for the Netherlands, just a few days after he and his partner Noa van der Bij announced that they lost their unborn son.

Gakpo decided to stay at the tournament despite the difficult moment in his personal life and broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute.

Weghorst nodded a long ball from the goalkeeper into Summerville’s path. He went on a run, fell between the defenders but found Gakpo, who fired the ball into the net.

It looked like that would be enough to send the Dutch team to the last 16, but Morocco hit back and equalized in the first minute of stoppage time.

Captain Virgil van Dijk could only watch as Issa Diop headed Chemsdine Talbi‘s cross from the left.

Dutch keeper Verbruggen made a massive save to deny Soufiane Rahimi from point-blank range in the early minutes of extra-time and keep his nation’s hopes up.

But he fumbled the ball, letting it go under his body and over the line to let Rahimi score Morocco’s first goal in the shoot-out.

The Netherlands haven’t lost a World Cup game in regular time since 2006, but have since been defeated three times out of four penalty shoot-outs.