Morocco advances to World Cup quarterfinals with 3:0 win over Canada, sets African record

Coach Mohamed Ouahbi had to replace his regular center-back Chadi Riad due to a knee injury and put Redouane Halhal in his place. The match itself also did not go Morocco's way at first. „Beide Teams brachten in Summe nur drei Torschüsse in 45 Minuten zustande“, the match report stated. Morocco registered no shots on goal in the first half, setting a negative tournament record.

First half without a scoring opportunity

Canada, led by 52-year-old American coach Jesse Marsch, started aggressively and created the first chances. Tani Oluwaseyi failed to beat Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou – who was born in Canada – twice in the 10th and 11th minutes. „Die vielversprechendste Möglichkeit auf einen Torerfolg vergab jedoch Tani Oluwaseyi in der 11. Minute. Der Stürmer vernaschte zunächst Verteidiger Redouane Halhal, brachte den Ball anschließend aber aus bester Position nicht an Bounou vorbei“, the report described.

In the 22nd minute, Morocco's striker star Ismael Saibari suffered a thigh injury without any contact from an opponent and had to be substituted. „Offen ist, ob Bayern-Neuzugang Ismael Saibari dann wieder mitspielen kann“ – the attacking player had scored in every group match and also converted in the penalty shootout against the Netherlands in the Round of 16 before the injury stopped him. Soufiane Rahimi came on for Saibari, later becoming the decisive figure.

Saibari injured early

After the break, the match turned. In the 50th minute, the Moroccans played a quick free kick: Achraf Hakimi laid it off at the edge of the penalty area, where the 26-year-old midfielder Azzedine Ounahi curled the ball into the near corner. „50. Minute: Marokko erhält auf der rechten Seite einen Freistoß. Alle Kanadier rechnen mit der hohen Flanke in den Sechzehner, doch Achraf Hakimi legt den Ball flach zurück an die Strafraumgrenze, wo Ounahi direkt abzieht und den Ball gekonnt in die nahe Ecke schlenzt – 1:0“.

Ounahi's goal was his tenth international goal for Morocco. Afterward, the favorites managed the lead, while Canada continued to press but lacked penetration. „Zum Matchwinner avanciert Mittelfeldmann Azzedine Ounahi mit einem Doppelpack nach der Pause“, the summary stated. Jonathan David sent a free kick from a good position well over the bar in the 78th minute, before Tajon Buchanan fired a long-range shot in the 79th minute that Bounou saved.

Morocco awakens after the break

The decisive blow came in the 82nd minute. Brahim Diaz, who played as a Real Madrid professional and shone several times as a creator, initiated a counterattack, wrong-footed an opponent with a body feint, and set up Ounahi, who coolly slotted home for 2:0. „82. Minute: Kanada forciert die Offensive und läuft in einen Konter. Der wieselflinke Brahim Diaz könnte abschließen, 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“. Shortly after, Rahimi headed against the crossbar.

Canada threw everything forward in the closing stages. „Statt des Anschlusstreffers fiel in der letzten der acht Nachspielminuten noch das 3:0 für die Nordafrikaner“, the reporter wrote. First, Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau surged forward for a corner in the 94th minute and collided with Morocco's Bounou. In the 98th minute, Soufiane Rahimi finished off another counter, started by Brahim Diaz, to make it 3:0. „Soufiane Rahimi sorgte in der Nachspielzeit für die Entscheidung (90.+8)“, the recap noted. In between, the Canadians picked up six more yellow cards.

Canada's exit as a historic disappointment

From the Canadian perspective – they had reached the World Cup Round of 16 for the first time in their history – the tournament ended with a historic disappointment. „Im 90. Spiel der WM hat es den ersten Co-Gastgeber erwischt – Kanada ist draußen“. The „Maple Leaves“ had previously secured their first-ever knockout-stage appearance with a late 1:0 against South Africa, but now suffered a clear defeat in Houston.

Coach Jesse Marsch showed fighting spirit despite the loss: „Wir waren das bessere Team“, said the former RB Leipzig coach, but acknowledged that Morocco had „etwas mehr Chancen und mehr Qualität im letzten Drittel“. His Moroccan counterpart Mohamed Ouahbi described the grueling match with the words: „Wir haben gelitten. Wenn man gegen ein Team antritt, das so intensiv spielt, weiß man von Anfang an, dass es schwierige Momente geben wird“.

With the quarterfinal qualification, the North Africans extend their already extraordinary African record. Back in Qatar 2022, they had become the first African team ever to reach a World Cup semifinal – including 70 percent possession in the dramatic Round of 16 clash against the Netherlands. Now, they want more: „Dieses Mal soll es allerdings mehr als das Halbfinale werden“. Coach Ouahbi, „der in Belgiens Hauptstadt Brüssel zur Welt kam und dort seine Trainerkarriere beim RSC Anderlecht startete“, has been on the touchline since March of this year and leads a squad largely socialized abroad in Europe – „Aus dem 26-köpfigen Kader sind 20 Spieler außerhalb Marokkos geboren und aufgewachsen, 19 davon in Europa“. The previous coach, Walid Regragui, „der in Frankreich geboren“ wurde, had stepped down from the position.

France or Paraguay as next opponent

In the quarterfinals on Thursday, July 9 (10:00 p.m. CEST), in Boston, a blockbuster awaits: the winner of the match between France and Paraguay, which was played simultaneously in Philadelphia. „Der Halbfinalist von 2022 bekommt es im Viertelfinal am Donnerstag in Boston mit dem Sieger des Duells zwischen Paraguay und Frankreich zu tun“, was already being said before the parallel match had finished. France ultimately prevailed over Paraguay.

A special side note concerns the situation with Bayern professional Saibari. His transfer from PSV Eindhoven to FC Bayern had been announced on the previous Wednesday for a fee of at least 50 million euros. „Bei den Bayern wird der Neuzugang mit der 34 auflaufen – aus einem traurigen Grund“, it was said. With an eye on his injury, it remained unclear whether Saibari would be available again on Thursday in Boston. Bayern sporting director Max Eberl had previously described him as „einen der spannendsten Offensivspieler dieser WM“.

Overall, Morocco's sporting record is mixed: despite a weak first half and the early injury setback for Saibari, the Ouahbi team kept its composure and converted its chances ruthlessly. For Canada, which had already met the eventual winner in the Round of 16, there remains the consolation of having set a milestone by reaching the knockout stage: „mit dem Erfolg, dank der ersten WM-Punkte überhaupt so weit gekommen zu sein wie noch nie“.

The matchday