TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Morocco booked their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 after defeating the Netherlands 3-2 in a dramatic penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw after extra time at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey on Monday, eliminating the Dutch at the earliest stage of a World Cup for the first time in their history.
The Atlas Lions will now face Canada in the round of 16, with the match scheduled to be the first knockout fixture of the next phase.
The Netherlands looked set to progress after Cody Gakpo gave his side the lead in the 72nd minute. The forward finished from a pass by Crysencio Summerville before Dutch players rushed onto the field to embrace him in an emotional celebration.
As reported by ESPN, Gakpo was visibly overcome with emotion after scoring, having recently announced with his partner, Noa van der Bij, that they had lost their unborn child.
Morocco, however, refused to surrender. Deep into stoppage time, Issa Diop rose to head home a long cross from Chemsdine Talbi in the 91st minute, forcing the match into extra time.
Neither side managed to create a decisive breakthrough during the additional 30 minutes, sending the contest to penalties.
The shootout proved tense and unpredictable, with both teams missing twice. Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou emerged as the hero after diving to his left to deny Summerville's spot-kick when the score stood at 2-2 after four rounds.
Ismael Saibari then calmly converted the decisive penalty into the bottom-left corner as Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen dived the opposite way, sealing Morocco's 3-2 shootout victory.
Al Jazeera noted that Morocco completed a remarkable comeback after trailing for much of the second half, with Diop's late equalizer paving the way for Saibari's winning penalty.
The defeat marked a historic disappointment for the Netherlands, who had advanced to at least the round of 16 in each of their previous eight World Cup appearances, including a quarterfinal run in 2022.
The matchup also featured two of the tournament's highest-ranked teams. Morocco entered the contest ranked sixth in the world, while the Netherlands were seventh, making it the highest combined FIFA ranking of any Round of 32 fixture.
Morocco, who reached the semifinals of the previous World Cup, will now continue their bid for another deep tournament run when they take on Canada in the last 16.
Read: Netherlands vs Morocco Prediction in 2026 World Cup
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