Co-hosts Canada are out of the World Cup after a ruthless second-half display from Morocco in Houston. Azzedine Ounahi scored twice and Soufiane Rahimi added a late third as the Atlas Lions secured a 3-0 win to reach the quarter-finals.
Jesse Marsch’s side started brightly, with Jonathan David forcing Bono into a fine stop early on and Tani Oluwaseyi squandering an excellent chance after turning Redouane Halhal. “We should’ve had the lead,” Marsch said. “We had 11 incredible performances in the first half.”
“Morocco knock out co-hosts Canada with 3-0 win to reach World Cup quarter-finals.”
But Morocco suffered a major blow when star striker Ismael Saibari – recently signed by Bayern Munich for £43m – went off injured after 22 minutes. Rahimi replaced him.
Despite Canada’s early pressure, the Atlas Lions had recorded just one touch in the Canadian penalty area in the first 45 minutes. The game turned shortly after the break when Ounahi swept the ball home from 20 yards. He settled the match with another excellent finish in the final 10 minutes, and Rahimi added a flattering third.
The reigning African champions, ranked sixth in the world, are the first country from their continent to reach the World Cup quarter-finals twice. They will face either France or Paraguay next.
Marsch described his players as ‘Canadian heroes’ despite the defeat. Canada, making history by reaching the knockout stages as co-hosts, exit the tournament having backed up their first World Cup victory with a last-16 appearance.
“It’s the fine details,” Marsch reflected. “They have players that play at a big level. In terms of how we played, the match plan … what an incredible performance.”