Morocco strengthened their place in African football history after edging the Netherlands on penalties in Tuesday’s FIFA World Cup Round of 32 encounter, achieving new continental milestones in the process.
The thrilling contest ended 1-1 after 120 minutes before the Atlas Lions triumphed 3-2 in the shootout to book their place in the next round.
The Netherlands appeared to be on course for victory when Cody Gakpo broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute. However, Morocco fought back in the closing stages through Issa Diop, whose goal ensured the match went beyond regulation time.
Extra time failed to separate the teams, leaving penalties to determine the winner. Both nations squandered two attempts before Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou became the hero by stopping Crysencio Summerville’s decisive effort. Ismael Saibari then confidently dispatched the winning kick to send Morocco through.
Figures published by Opta revealed that the victory has taken Morocco’s tally of World Cup knockout wins to three, equalling the combined total recorded by every other African country to have reached that stage of the competition.
The North Africans first made history at the 2022 tournament by becoming the continent’s first semi-finalists, collecting two knockout victories during that memorable campaign. Their latest success has now added another chapter to that achievement. Before Morocco’s rise, only Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010 had celebrated victories in World Cup knockout matches.
Morocco also dominated possession against the Dutch, keeping the ball for 70 percent of open play. According to Opta, no African side has registered a higher possession figure in a World Cup knockout game since records began in 1966.
Heading into the tournament as Africa’s top-ranked nation and seventh in the FIFA rankings, Morocco have continued to impress under recently appointed coach Mohamed Ouahbi. The team has carried forward the progress established during Walid Regragui’s tenure, which produced the country’s historic semi-final appearance four years earlier.
The Atlas Lions will now turn their attention to a Round of 16 showdown against co-hosts Canada on Saturday as they continue their pursuit of another landmark achievement.
