Morocco beat the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties in Monterrey to reach the World Cup last 16. The match finished 1-1 after extra time. Issa Diop's stoppage-time header forced the shootout. Ismael Saibari scored the winning kick.
Morocco beat the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties in Monterrey to reach the World Cup last 16. The match finished 1-1 after extra time. Issa Diop's stoppage-time header forced the shootout. Ismael Saibari scored the winning kick.
Cody Gakpo put the Netherlands ahead in the 72nd minute, finishing first-time after Crysencio Summerville teed him up on a rapid counter. The Liverpool forward sank to the turf and was mobbed by team-mates.
Gakpo's goal carried extra weight. The 27-year-old had chosen to stay with the squad days after he and his partner, Noa van der Bij, announced the loss of their unborn son.
Morocco had dominated for long spells and hit back through Issa Diop, who headed home Chemsdine Talbi's cross in the first minute of stoppage time. Extra time produced no goals, sending the tie to penalties at Estadio BBVA.
In the shootout, Teun Koopmeiners and Wout Weghorst scored for the Dutch, but Justin Kluivert struck a post and Quinten Timber dragged his effort wide. Neil El Aynaoui hit the bar for Morocco and Achraf Hakimi found the woodwork. Yassine Bounou then saved Summerville's kick, leaving Saibari to roll the winner into the bottom-left corner for a 3-2 win.
It was the second shootout of the day. Hours earlier, Paraguay had eliminated four-time champions Germany on penalties, ending Germany's unbeaten men's World Cup shootout streak.
Morocco's bench emptied as Saibari tore off his shirt and was swamped by teammates. The Atlas Lions created the better chances across the night, with Bart Verbruggen keeping the score down for the Dutch through saves from Hakimi and El Aynaoui.
This is the earliest World Cup exit in Dutch history. The Netherlands had reached at least the last 16 in 11 previous tournaments, including a quarter-final in Qatar four years ago. Morocco, who made the semi-finals at that tournament, advance again.
The match held the highest combined ranking of any Round of 32 tie, with Morocco sixth in the world and the Netherlands seventh. Bounou was central to the result, having earlier denied Micky van de Ven a long-range effort before his decisive shootout stop. The Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio oversaw a fractious contest filled with heavy challenges, including an elbow from Saibari on Jan Paul van Hecke that escaped sanction.
Morocco move on to face Canada in the Round of 16 in Houston on Saturday. A win would carry them towards a place in the quarter-finals. The Netherlands head home from the knockout stage at the first hurdle.
