Morocco beat the Netherlands and fly into the round of 16 after a battle decided only on penalties. Gakpo’s goal (72′) — after which he burst into tears shortly after scoring — was cancelled out at the death by Diop (91′), sending the match into extra time. But the real surprises came in the shootout: from the spot, absolutely everything happened, between shocking misses and saves that somehow turned into goals. In the end, Ouahbi’s men come out on top (2-3) and book their place in the clash against Canada.
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The match was largely defined by tactical balance. The tempo stayed low, partly because of the heat, and neither side chose to press high. Morocco, though, gradually took control of the game and created the better chances. Verbruggen was decisive first on El Aynaoui’s header and then on Hakimi’s long-range right-footed effort. The Netherlands’ only real response in the first half came from a long-range shot by Van de Ven, tipped behind for a corner by Bounou.
After the break, the Africans stepped it up, but it was the Netherlands who struck first: Weghorst held the ball up, Summerville burst down the flank and picked out Gakpo, who made it 1-0 to the Dutch. It was a goal charged with emotion for the forward, who had lost the child his partner was expecting just a few days earlier.
Morocco were rocked but never stopped believing. Ouahbi turned to his bench and found the right card: Talbi delivered a perfect cross and, deep into stoppage time, Diop rose highest just a few steps from Verbruggen to make it 1-1.
In extra time, the script did not change. Morocco kept driving the game, while the Netherlands sat back. The biggest chance fell to Rahimi, but he was denied by a brilliant Verbruggen.
🤯 CRAZY penalties! Saibari seals Morocco’s win
The match was therefore decided on penalties, where the Netherlands’ curse continues. First up was Koopmeiners, who scored to give the Dutch the lead. Right after that, El Aynaoui stepped up and blazed his effort high onto the crossbar. Then came Kluivert, who hit the post to revive Moroccan hopes, with the Africans pulling one back through Rahimi. In that case, Verbruggen knocked it in with his heel after getting a touch on it.
The third penalty was successful for both sides, through Weghorst and Talbi respectively. The fourth spot-kick was missed by both the Netherlands and Morocco, first by Timber, who fired wide, and then by Hakimi, who hit the post. On the Netherlands’ fifth penalty, Bounou hypnotized Summerville, leaving the decisive kick at the feet of Saibari, who made no mistake and sent Morocco through to the round of 16.
🥺 Gakpo breaks down in tears after his goal
Right after scoring the goal that put the Netherlands ahead, Gakpo couldn’t hold back the emotion and burst into tears, thinking of his immense pain. Just a few days ago, his partner lost the child she was expecting. All his teammates, both on the pitch and on the bench, ran to embrace him, creating a beautiful image.
🎉 A record-breaking Morocco reach the round of 16 and celebrate
With last night’s win, as reported by Opta, Morocco became the first African team in World Cup history to have progressed through at least one knockout round in more than one edition. Further proof that Ouahbi’s national team is a great side.
Among the images from Morocco’s celebrations is surely Saibari’s hug with his mother right after scoring the decisive penalty that sent them through.
Then the celebrations continued in the dressing room, with the whole team embracing Diop for scoring the goal that allowed Morocco to keep dreaming.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
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