Morocco booked their place in the FIFA World Cup last 16 after defeating the Netherlands 3-2 in a dramatic penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw after extra time at Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe. Ismael Saibari converted the decisive penalty, while goalkeeper Yassine Bounou once again delivered when it mattered most to send the Atlas Lions through and eliminate another European heavyweight.
It marked the second time in World Cup history that Morocco have beaten a major UEFA nation on penalties, four years after their famous shootout victory over Spain in Qatar. The reward is a last-16 meeting with co-hosts Canada after another memorable knockout performance.
The Netherlands switched from a 4-3-3 formation to a 3-4-2-1 following their 3-1 victory over Tunisia. Ronald Koeman made two changes, bringing Micky van de Ven into the side as wing-back while Crysencio Summerville replaced Donyell Malen behind Brian Brobbey. Morocco also made four changes after defeating Haiti 4-2, with Noussair Mazraoui, Diop, Bouaddi and Azzedine Ounahi all returning to the starting lineup.
The Dutch created an early opening in the 16th minute when Ryan Gravenberch escaped his marker before sending Summerville through on goal. The winger controlled the pass brilliantly but lost possession in front of Yassine Bounou before Diop cleared the danger. Moments later, the assistant referee raised his flag for offside.
Morocco responded immediately and nearly broke the deadlock in the 18th minute. Achraf Hakimi’s corner found Neil El Aynaoui unmarked at the near post, but Bart Verbruggen somehow pushed the close-range header away with an outstanding save. The rebound eventually fell to Bouaddi, whose effort from distance sailed over the crossbar.
Two minutes later, Verbruggen came to the Netherlands rescue again. Bilal El Khannouss found Brahim Diaz inside the box before the forward cleverly rolled the ball into Saibari’s path. Instead of shooting, Saibari squared the ball for captain Hakimi, whose powerful first-time strike forced another excellent stop from the Dutch goalkeeper at his near post.
The Netherlands entered the match having progressed from seven of their previous 10 World Cup knockout matches since 2010, although three of their last five had gone to penalties, including the heartbreaking defeat to Argentina in the 2022 quarter-finals.
Bounou also showed his quality before half-time. In the 44th minute, Summerville cut inside before finding the advancing Van de Ven, whose fierce first-time strike looked destined for the top corner until the Moroccan goalkeeper stretched to produce a brilliant fingertip save.
The stakes were high, with Canada already waiting for the winner in the last 16 after becoming the first team to book their place in the next round. Paraguay’s shock penalty shootout victory over Germany had also opened the path to the quarter-finals.
Morocco started the second half brightly. In the 49th minute, Ounahi found Hakimi on the overlap before the captain laid the ball into Bouaddi’s path, but his first-time effort flew comfortably over the crossbar.
Three minutes later, Morocco came within inches of taking the lead. Ounahi slipped a perfectly weighted pass into Hakimi’s run between Nathan Ake and Virgil van Dijk. The full-back beat Verbruggen with his shot from a tight angle, only to see the ball crash against the crossbar before bouncing away.
After surviving Morocco’s pressure, the Netherlands struck first in the 72nd minute. Wout Weghorst won Verbruggen’s long goal-kick before the ball reached Summerville. Although the winger slipped as he entered the penalty area, he managed to poke the ball into the path of Cody Gakpo, who fired beneath Bounou to make it 1-0.
The goal extended another impressive Dutch statistic, as they remained unbeaten in their previous 26 World Cup matches after scoring first, a run stretching back to 1978.
However, Morocco refused to give up. Deep into stoppage time, substitute Chemsdine Talbi delivered a superb cross from the left that split the Dutch defence. Diop rose perfectly to head beyond Verbruggen in the first minute of added time and level the match at 1-1, sending the tie into extra time.
The Netherlands almost restored their lead moments later when Summerville burst into the penalty area, but Mazraoui timed a superb sliding tackle to deny the winger a clear shooting opportunity.
Extra time produced few clear chances, but Morocco nearly won it in the 98th minute. Talbi combined brilliantly with Saibari before the latter slipped Rahimi through on goal. The substitute rounded his marker and aimed for the far corner, only for Verbruggen to produce the save of the match with a remarkable point-blank stop.
The remaining minutes became increasingly tense. Talbi delivered another dangerous cross in the 111th minute that Koopmeiners hacked clear before Hakimi could finish, while the final stages saw both teams struggle to create meaningful chances as penalties became inevitable.
The shootout proved just as dramatic as the match itself. Teun Koopmeiners opened the scoring despite Bounou getting a hand to his penalty. Neil El Aynaoui then struck the crossbar to hand the Netherlands an early advantage, but Justin Kluivert immediately wasted the opportunity by hitting the post.
Soufiane Rahimi restored parity for Morocco despite Verbruggen getting close to his effort. Wout Weghorst confidently blasted home before Chemsdine Talbi calmly levelled at 2-2.
The momentum swung again when Quinten Timber dragged his penalty well wide of the post. Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi then missed the chance to win it by striking the upright, keeping the Dutch alive.
The decisive moment came when Crysencio Summerville stepped up. Bounou guessed correctly, dived early and pushed away the winger’s penalty to leave Morocco one kick from victory.
Saibari seized the opportunity with complete confidence. He fired his penalty low into the bottom-left corner as Verbruggen dived the wrong way before sprinting towards the celebrating Moroccan supporters.
Morocco completed a dramatic 3-2 shootout victory after a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes to reach the World Cup last 16, where they will face co-hosts Canada on July 4. The Atlas Lions created the better chances throughout the contest and deserved their place in the next round, while Bounou once again proved decisive on the biggest stage. The defeat also meant the Netherlands became the second European nation eliminated from the World Cup on the same day, while their wait for a first world title will continue until at least 2030.
