Morocco booked their place in the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after claiming an impressive 3-0 victory over Canada at Houston Stadium on Saturday, Bold Sports reports.
The Atlas Lions produced a disciplined defensive display before two second-half goals from Azzedine Ounahi and a late strike from substitute Soufiane Rahimi secured the win, sending Morocco into the last eight while ending the co-hosts’ campaign.
Canada began the match on the front foot and nearly grabbed the opener in the 11th minute when Tani Oluwaseyi tested Yassine Bounou with a powerful effort. However, the Moroccan goalkeeper reacted well, stretching out a leg to make an important save and keep the scores level.
The remainder of the first half followed a similar pattern, with Morocco dominating possession while Canada continued to look more threatening. In the 22nd minute, Morocco were dealt a major setback as tournament top scorer Ismael Saibari was forced off through injury and replaced by Soufiane Rahimi.
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Both teams continued to battle fiercely for the rest of the opening period, with Morocco picking up four yellow cards and Canada receiving two. The six bookings made it the first World Cup match on record to produce more yellow cards (six) than shots (five) in the first half.
Morocco made the breakthrough just five minutes into the second half. After they were awarded a free-kick, Achraf Hakimi cleverly found Ounahi on the edge of the penalty area, and the midfielder calmly slotted his finish into the bottom-right corner beyond Maxime Crépeau to give his side the lead.
Trailing by a goal, Canada pushed more players forward in search of an equaliser, but Morocco stood firm at the back and capitalised on the spaces left at the Canadian defence late in the game.
The North Africans doubled their advantage in the 82nd minute through a superb counterattack. Brahim Diaz burst forward before cutting inside and laying the ball into the path of Ounahi, who guided a first-time finish into the top-right corner for his second goal of the night.
Rahimi put the result beyond doubt in the 98th minute, applying a close-range finish after another assist from Diaz to complete a comprehensive 3-0 victory and send Morocco through to the quarterfinals.
The result means Morocco have now reached the final eight of the FIFA World Cup for the second successive tournament. This time, they will face either Brazil or Paraguay. For Canada, meanwhile, their impressive journey comes to an end after an admirable tournament.
