Categories: Sports

Morocco Defeat Netherlands On Penalties To Reach World Cup Round Of 16

Morocco booked their place in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after beating the Netherlands 3-2 in a penalty shootout on Tuesday at the Estadio de Monterrey.

Ismael Saibari scored the winning penalty after goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved Crysencio Summerville’s spot kick.

The game had finished 1-1 after extra time.

The Netherlands looked set to win when Cody Gakpo fired them into the lead in the 72nd minute.

The Liverpool forward celebrated by pointing to the sky as he paid tribute following the recent loss of his unborn child.

Morocco refused to give up and found a dramatic equaliser in stoppage time.

Issa Diop headed home in the 91st minute to send the match into extra time.

The Atlas Lions were the better team for most of the extra 30 minutes and created the best chances.

Bart Verbruggen made an excellent save to stop Soufiane Rahimi from scoring, but neither side could find a winner before the final whistle.

The penalty shootout was full of tension as both teams missed several kicks.

Teun Koopmeiners and Wout Weghorst scored for the Dutch, but Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber and Crysencio Summerville all failed to convert.

Bounou’s save from Summerville gave Saibari the chance to seal victory, and he calmly scored the decisive penalty.

Earlier in the match, Morocco came close to taking the lead through Neil El Aynaoui, whose header from Achraf Hakimi’s corner was well saved by Verbruggen.

Hakimi also tested the Dutch goalkeeper with a powerful shot, while Bounou made an important save to deny Micky van de Ven’s long-range effort.

The result marks another major surprise at the tournament after Paraguay knocked out Germany on penalties in the previous round.

Morocco, ranked sixth in the world, showed why they are among the tournament’s strongest teams by producing an impressive performance against the seventh-ranked Netherlands.

The win sparked celebrations among Morocco’s fans in Monterrey, and the Atlas Lions will now meet Canada in the Round of 16.

ALSO READ: South Africa Knocked Out Of 2026 World Cup After Late Goal By Canada

Tobias Sylvester

Tobias Sylvester is the news editor for Kanyi Daily News and is based in Lagos. Contact Tobias at editor@kanyidaily.com. Got a confidential tip? Submit it here

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