The passionate Moroccan squad secured its first World Cup round of 16 berths since 1986 by capitalizing mercilessly on their opponent’s mistakes. Morocco beat Canada 2-1 to reach the knockout stage. Hakim Ziyech scored following Milan Borjan’s harmful clearing, advancing Morocco from Group F. Ziyech opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a lob over the hapless goalkeeper.
Morocco beat Canada 2-1 to reach the knockout stage.
Borjan was put in a difficult position when central defender Steven Vitoria made a poor back pass, causing the goalkeeper to race Moroccan forward Youssef En-Nesyri for the ball. En-Nesyri posed a constant threat as the half progressed, eventually doubling Morocco’s lead in the 23rd minute when he latched onto a long ball from Achraf Hakimi and snuck in to beat Borjan at the near post.
After goalkeeper Milan Borjan failed to clear the ball well, it fell at the feet of Hakim Ziyech. Morocco, which needed a win or a tie to move on from Group F, scored. Midfielder Ziyech scored the first goal in the fourth minute with a simple lob over the helpless goalkeeper. A loud crowd of Moroccan fans was cheering him on.
During the stoppage time at the end of the first half, En-Nesyri also hit a volley into the Canadian goal. But the plan was taken away because he was offside. Since Croatia tied 0-0 with Belgium in the other Group F match, they finished in the first place. Morocco will play the runner-up from Group E, which includes Japan, Spain, Germany, and Costa Rica.
Canada scored the tournament’s first goal in the 40th minute when Moroccan defender Nayef Aguero scored his own goal by deflecting a cross from Sam Adekugbe past his goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. With no points to show for their efforts in Russia, Canada will automatically qualify to co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside the United States and Mexico.
