Morocco are through to the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup after beating the Netherlands 3 to 2 on penalties following a 1 to 1 draw after extra time at Monterrey Stadium.
The Atlas Lions looked to be heading out after Cody Gakpo gave the Netherlands the lead in the 72nd minute from Crysencio Summerville’s cross.
But Morocco found a late equaliser when substitute Issa Diop headed in Chemsdine Talbi’s cross in the first minute of stoppage time.
Neither side could find a winner in extra time.
Morocco came closest in the 113th minute when Ismael Saibari played Soufiane Rahimi through on goal, but Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen made an important save to keep the score level.
The penalty shootout started badly for Morocco. Neil El Aynaoui hit the crossbar with the first penalty, while Achraf Hakimi struck the post with his effort.
However, Yassine Bounou kept Morocco in the game by saving Crysencio Summerville’s penalty before Saibari scored the winning spot kick.
Morocco had most of the ball and created more chances throughout the match.
They finished with 70% possession, compared with the Dutch’s 30%, and completed 800 passes at 91% accuracy. The Netherlands completed 293 passes with 79% accuracy.
The Moroccans also had more shots, 11 to the Dutch’s six, including five on target compared with two for the Atlas Lions. They created five big chances but missed four of them.
In the 20th minute, Verbruggen tipped over Neil El Aynaoui’s header from an Achraf Hakimi corner.
Just before half-time, Hakimi sent a low cross across the goal, but Saibari could not reach it.
Early in the second half, Hakimi hit the post before Micky van de Ven recovered to stop him from shooting moments later.
Morocco will now play Canada in the Round of 16 on Saturday, 4 July, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The teams last met at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Morocco won 2 to 1 on the way to reaching the semi-finals.
Canada reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time after beating South Africa 1 to 0.
