In the second stunning penalty shootout of the day, Morocco bested the Netherlands 1-1 (3-2 on penalties) in a thrilling Round of 32 matchup to advance to the next round of the World Cup.
In an often frantic, consistently physical matchup, neither team was able to break through in the first half, despite the Moroccans getting a couple of big chances. The first half certainly had its highlights, but they were all on the defensive end, including back-to-back saves from Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
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As the game stayed scoreless into the second half, Morocco held much of the possession, had more shots, and had a more efficient attack, but the Dutch were able to fight the Atlas Lions off in the final third. And in the 72nd minute, Cody Gakpo broke through for the Netherlands, scoring a collected finish off Crysencio Summerville‘s impressive pass from the ground.
Gakpo and his girlfriend announced the death of their unborn son Saturday, making Monday’s goal an even more special moment. Gakpo immediately fell to his knees after the goal, overcome with emotion; the entire Netherlands team then came off the bench to celebrate with the forward.
For a moment, that goal was enough to give the Netherlands hope for a win. But Morocco had a different idea: In the first minute of stoppage time, defender Issa Diop found the equalizer with his head.
That sent the game to extra time, which stayed largely even despite some close chances. In the 97th minute, though, Morocco had what looked like a sure goal thanks to Soufiane Rahimi breaking through the back line, but Verbruggen had an absolutely incredible save, with the ball going off his knee and out of bounds. (Verbruggen, who is only 23, was one of the biggest difference-makers in this game for the Netherlands, single-handedly holding off the Atlas Lions on several occasions.)
In penalty kicks, misses from both teams — including veterans like Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi — made the shootout particularly dramatic. It all came down to one last kick from striker Ismael Saibari. Saibari had missed a couple of big chances earlier in the match, but redeemed himself with a perfect strike past Verbruggen into the back netting.
With one kick, Saibari sent his team to the next round in what was set to be one of the most competitive Round of 32 games on the docket. Yet Morocco truly outplayed the Netherlands in every stat, and sends the Dutch home before the Round of 16 for the first time in the team’s history.
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Morocco’s victory sets up a Round of 16 fight against Canada, which defeated South Africa on Sunday. The Atlas Lions are just one World Cup removed from a magical semifinals appearance, and hope to recreate that magic in this tournament.
