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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).Morocco national team celebrating (Photo: @BouaddiAyyoub X)
After a tightly contested first half with few clear-cut chances, the breakthrough finally arrived in the 72nd minute. Crysencio Summerville found Cody Gakpo with a well-weighted pass, and Gakpo calmly finished to hand the Netherlands a 1-0 lead. The goal carried deep personal significance for Gakpo. The Dutch forward was overcome with emotion after scoring, breaking down in tears as teammates and members of the Netherlands bench rushed onto the field to embrace him. Gakpo and his partner, Noa van der Bij, had recently announced the loss of their unborn child. 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. The contest was one of the highest-quality ties of the Round of 32, with Morocco entering the tournament ranked sixth in the FIFA World Rankings and the Netherlands seventh. It was also only the second match of the tournament to be decided by a penalty shootout after Paraguay eliminated Germany earlier on Monday. Morocco will now face Canada in the first Round of 16 fixture at NRG Stadium on Saturday (local time), as they continue their historic run in the ongoing FIFA World Cup. (ANI)
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