Morocco defeated the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties to reach the last 16 at this summer’s World Cup. The Atlas Lions will now take on Canada on July 4. Only five of the 10 players who stepped up to the spot converted their attempts in Monterrey, but Ismael Saibari’s effort sealed the deal for Morocco, which forced extra time with an unlikely 91st-minute goal from Issa Diop. Neither team could break the 1-1 deadlock in extra time, sending the contest to penalties, where multiple players either
hit the post or missed the target. It was the second World Cup match of the day to require penalties after Paraguay stunned Germany on spot-kicks earlier Monday. The Dutch appeared to be closing in on the knockout victory after Cody Gakpo’s goal in the 72nd minute. But Diop was the savior for the Atlas Lions, rising high to power home a pinpoint header in stoppage time for his first international goal. The shootout ebbed and flowed until Saibari, one of Morocco’s standout players at
the tournament thus far, kept his nerve to send the pro-Moroccan crowd in Mexico into a frenzy.
Morocco Netherlands World Cup penalties Monterrey Issa Diop Ismael Saibari Canada July 4
Penalties again… I swear every World Cup game turns into a coin flip.
How did Morocco score that 91st-minute goal if it was already over?? ESPN headline made it sound like the Dutch had it locked up.
Idk if Diop really “saved” them… sounds like Netherlands just choked after Gakpo scored. Also five out of ten?? That’s crazy. I thought penalties were like automatic lol.
Monterrey is such a weird place for this to happen, but whatever. Did the Netherlands miss because the Moroccan fans were too loud? I saw Saibari name and assumed it was the goalie at first. Morocco vs Canada July 4 though?? That date sounds like something else, like soccer players birthdays or something.