Morocco advances to quarterfinals and sets African World Cup record

Tough first half with record number of bookings

Morocco, for their part, managed only a single shot on goal in the first half – the lowest tally a team had recorded in a half at this World Cup. Canada's coach Jesse Marsch, of American origin, had made three changes to the starting lineup: Luc de Fougerolles, Ali Ahmed, and Niko Sigur came into the starting eleven.

Early Canadian chances through Jonathan David (5th) and Tani Oluwaseyi, who in the 10th and 11th minutes respectively found himself free in front of Yassine Bounou after a turnover in the Moroccan midfield, were nullified by the Moroccan goalkeeper, who was born in Canada. A header from Alistair Johnston (18th) following a corner also failed to find the net.

The turning point came after the interval. In the 50th minute, captain Achraf Hakimi, one of the outstanding performers of this World Cup, laid a free kick from the right side back flat to the edge of the penalty area. Azzedine Ounahi, the 26-year-old central midfielder from Girona, curled the ball "gekonnt in die nahe Ecke" to make it 1-0 for Morocco – it was the first Moroccan shot from inside the box in this match and his tenth goal in a national team shirt.

Earlier, Moroccan striker star Ismael Saibari had suffered a thigh injury in the 22nd minute in a challenge without any external contact and had to be substituted off. The 25-year-old attacker, designated new signing of FC Bayern Munich for at least 50 million euros in transfer fee, had previously scored in every group game as well as in the penalty shootout against the Netherlands and was regarded as one of "der spannendsten Offensivspieler dieser WM". Soufiane Rahimi replaced Saibari.

Saibari's injury and Hakimi's key moment

As the game progressed, tensions rose further. A scuffle near the 40th minute and yellow cards for Halhal, Hakimi, Ounahi, and El Khannouss on the Moroccan side as well as for Laryea, J. David, De Fougerolles, and Larin on the Canadian side showed that nerves were fraying.

Morocco's second goal came in the 82nd minute following a counterattack initiated by Brahim Diaz of Real Madrid. Diaz "lässt stattdessen mit einem Haken aber noch einen Gegenspieler aus und serviert Ounahi den Ball auf dem Silbertablett. Im Stile eines Goalgetters netzt der Girona-Söldner erneut ein – 2:0." A few minutes later, Rahimi headed against the crossbar.

In the 79th minute, Bounou saved a long-range effort from Tajon Buchanan, and in the 78th minute Jonathan David blasted a free kick from a promising position well over the bar. The introduction of Shaffelburg and P. David likewise failed to turn the tide for Canada.

Efficiency over beauty: Morocco's second half

Soufiane Rahimi put the finishing touch in the eighth minute of stoppage time (90th+8), slotting the ball over the line to make it 3-0 after another assist from Diaz. Earlier, Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau had left his defensive line in the 94th minute following a collision with Bounou after a corner, further destabilizing the Canadian backline.

With the win, Morocco secured the first quarterfinal ticket of this World Cup as the first team to do so. "Marokko war über weite Strecken nicht die bessere, mit Sicherheit aber die effizientere Mannschaft", the match report stated. Coach Mohamed Ouahbi, the "erst seit März amtierende" coach, was born in Brussels and had begun his coaching career at RSC Anderlecht.

Ouahbi found words of recognition after the final whistle: "Das war beeindruckend, wie meine Spieler sich da reingehängt haben. Es ist uns gelungen, die Räume ein bisschen besser zu nutzen, die sie uns gelassen haben. Das war der Schlüssel." He added: "Wir haben gelitten. Wenn man gegen ein Team antritt, das so intensiv spielt, weiß man von Anfang an, dass es schwierige Momente geben wird."

Canada's coach Jesse Marsch acknowledged the defeat but did not want to disparage his team's performance: "Wir waren das bessere Team. Klar, sie hatten ein paar mehr Chancen als wir. Sie haben ein bisschen mehr Qualität im letzten Drittel und uns hat es da gefehlt." He also said he "kann nicht stolzer sein" about his team's performance.

Canada takes historic achievement home

With the exit, Canada becomes the first of the three co-host nations to head home. "Im 90. Spiel der WM hat es den ersten Co-Gastgeber erwischt", wrote OE24. Despite the elimination, a historic achievement remains for the Canadians: For the first time ever, Canada collected World Cup points, and for the first time the team reached the knockout stage, "weiter als je zuvor in ihrer Geschichte".

Outlook: Quarterfinal against France or Paraguay

Morocco now faces the quarterfinal in Boston on Thursday (July 9) – presumably against France. Les Bleus, runners-up in 2022, meet Paraguay in the Round of 16. The first leg in "Marokko hat am Donnerstag in Boston auf Frankreich oder Paraguay" has been set. The French will be without Real Madrid player Aurélien Tchouaméni for the Round of 16 due to injury, but an appearance in the quarterfinals is considered realistic.

It remains to be seen whether Saibari will be available for the quarterfinals. His loss in Houston has caused additional concern in Munich. "Ein Bayern-Neuzugang macht derweil Sorgen", the portal commented.

Morocco had already made history before this match: The Atlas Lions had advanced to the semifinal of a World Cup tournament as the first African team ever in 2022 in Qatar, where they lost to France 0-2 before beating Spain on penalties and defeating Portugal 1-0. The African championship title, currently held by Morocco, "kam nach dem skandalösen Finale gegen Senegal am Grünen Tisch zustande". Of the 26 players in the Moroccan squad, 20 were born outside Morocco, 19 of them in Europe.

Kickoff in the Round of 16 in Houston was at 7:00 p.m. CEST, with the match broadcast live by ServusTV, ZDF, and MagentaTV, among others. Brazilian referee Michael Oliver officiated the match as the 90th game of this World Cup finals, which features 48 teams in 12 preliminary groups over 38 days in the USA, Mexico, and Canada starting June 11.