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It was a historic night for stars Achraf Hakimi, Neil El Aynaoui and Ismael Saibari as Morocco recorded a sensational win on penalties against the Netherlands, knocking the 2018 WC third-placed side out of the competition.
African giants Morocco kept their FIFA World Cup 2026 dream alive with a thrilling 3-2 penalty shootout victory over the Netherlands after the sides were locked at 1-1 following extra time in a gripping Round of 32 encounter on Monday (local time). As per Opta Analyst, Neil El Aynaoui completed 134 passes against the Dutch, with only Leandro Paredes of Argentina against Jordan (153 passes) recording more during the ongoing tournament. Hakimi, the superstar from Paris Saint-Germain, levelled with Saibari with five touches in the opposition's box during the game, most by a Moroccan player during a FIFA WC game. Also, his overall 30 touches inside the box during the tournament are the most by a player from his country. Also Saibari, who became the first African player to score in each of his team's three group stage matches in the World Cup and the first African player to score three goals in a single FIFA World Cup since Asamoah Gyan did it for Ghana in 2010, registered the decisive penalty to send his side in the next round, continuing a memorable tournament for him. Now, he has goals against heavyweights like Brazil and the Netherlands in a single tournament. Coming to the Morocco versus Netherlands clash, after a tightly contested first half with few clear-cut chances, the breakthrough finally arrived in the 72nd minute with Cody Gakpo scoring for the Netherlands. The Netherlands appeared set to progress until Morocco produced a dramatic response in stoppage time. In the 91st minute, Chemsdine Talbi delivered a teasing cross into the penalty area, where Issa Diop rose highest to power a header past the goalkeeper and level the score at 1-1, silencing the Dutch supporters. The equaliser shifted the momentum in Morocco's favour, but neither side managed to create a decisive opportunity during the additional 30 minutes of extra time. Both teams remained disciplined defensively, forcing the contest to be settled by penalties. The shootout proved to be a tense affair. Players from both teams missed two penalties each, while Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou once again demonstrated his penalty-saving reputation by correctly diving to deny Crysencio Summerville. With the scores level, Ismael Saibari stepped up to take Morocco's decisive penalty and calmly converted, sealing a 3-2 shootout victory and sparking jubilant celebrations among the Moroccan players and fans. (ANI)
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