Morocco knocked the Netherlands out of the 2026 World Cup, winning a penalty shootout
Kyiv • UNN
The Moroccan national team defeated the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time. The decisive strike was made by Ismael Saibari.
The Moroccan national team became another author of a loud sensation at the 2026 World Cup, knocking the Netherlands team out of the competition in a penalty shootout – 3:2. Regular and extra time ended in a 1:1 draw, reports UNN.
Details
The first goal of the match was scored in the 72nd minute, when Cody Gakpo, after a pass from Cresswell Summerville, put the Netherlands ahead. Morocco equalized already in stoppage time of the second half – in the 90+1st minute, Ilias Diop, after an assist from Shams Talbi, leveled the score and sent the game into extra time.
In two extra periods, the teams could not determine a winner, so the fate of the ticket to the next round was decided in a penalty shootout.
The first Moroccan shot was not converted by Neil El-Aynaoui, but after that, Sofyan Rahimi and Shams Talbi used their attempts. For the Netherlands, Teun Koopmeiners and Wout Weghorst scored, while Justin Kluivert, Timber, and Cresswell Summerville failed to beat the opponent's goalkeeper.
The decisive moment was the fifth shot of the Moroccan national team, which was converted by Ismael Saibari. Despite the fact that Achraf Hakimi had earlier missed his penalty, Saibari's accurate shot brought the Moroccans victory in the shootout – 3:2 and a ticket to the next round of the World Cup.