Morocco edge the Netherlands on penalties in a Monterrey thriller

Morocco knocked out the Netherlands on penalties at the Estadio BBVA after a gripping 2-2 draw, the 2022 semi-finalists winning the shootout 3-2. Soufiane Rahimi scored and Abdessamad Saibari sealed it, with Achraf Hakimi's earlier miss off the post forgotten. For the Netherlands it was a painfully familiar exit — beaten on spot-kicks once again — while Morocco's big-game pedigree carried them into the last 16.

How it unfolded: four goals, then a shootout

An open contest saw the Netherlands twice take the lead, only for Morocco to peg them back each time. The decisive equaliser came on 91 minutes when Diop headed home from a Talbi cross to force extra time. With no winner after 120 minutes, penalties followed: Hakimi struck the post, but Rahimi converted and Saibari held his nerve to clinch a 3-2 shootout win.

Context: Dutch deja vu, Moroccan nerve

The Netherlands suffered a cruel echo of 2014 and 2022, eliminated on penalties yet again after twice leading and conceding a 91st-minute equaliser they will long regret. It is a haunting, familiar way for a gifted Dutch side to exit. Morocco reaffirmed the resilience and composure that took them to the 2022 semi-finals, ruthless from twelve yards when it counted even after Hakimi struck the post. Their run goes on, and they will be a side nobody wants to face — the tournament's most accomplished underdogs gathering momentum.

The next step: Morocco meet Canada

Morocco advance to face Canada in the Round of 16, pairing two of the tournament's stories; the Netherlands exit at the Round of 32, beaten from the spot. Our forecast of Netherlands-or-draw landed — the tie finished level in regulation — but it was Morocco who progressed on penalties.