Morocco beat Netherlands on penalties to reach World Cup last 16
Short overview
Morocco recovered from Cody Gakpo's opener to beat the Netherlands on penalties in a dramatic Round of 32 tie. Gakpo scored for the Dutch, but Issa Diop's late equalizer forced extra time before Morocco prevailed 3-2 in the shootout.
Morocco booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Round of 16 after edging past the Netherlands in a highly dramatic penalty shootout at Monterrey Stadium. The Atlas Lions recovered from Cody Gakpo's opener to force extra time and prevail 3-2 on spot kicks, setting up a clash with co-hosts Canada in Houston on 4 July.
Emotional opener for Gakpo
The Dutch forward opened the scoring in the 72nd minute, just two days after announcing the loss of his unborn son. The goal was his sixth at a World Cup, moving him into second place on the all-time Dutch scoring list behind only Johnny Rep (7). Gakpo is one of six Dutch players to have reached six World Cup goals.
Morocco's resilience
The Netherlands dominated the opening exchanges, but Morocco went closest to breaking the deadlock after 20 minutes. Neil El Aynaoui's header from Achraf Hakimi's corner forced Bart Verbruggen into a stunning reaction stop. The Atlas Lions threatened again in first-half added time, but Ismael Saibari was unable to reach Hakimi's teasing back-post cross.
Hakimi continued to prove a thorn in the Netherlands' side as he raced up the right flank and rattled the upright early in the second half. The Morocco captain carved out another opportunity moments later, but Micky van de Ven raced back to make a superb recovery challenge.
Dutch changes pay off
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman sent on Teun Koopmeiners and Wout Weghorst in a bid to wrestle back the initiative. The changes had the desired effect as Weghorst won an aerial challenge to free Crysencio Summerville, who sent Gakpo through for an emphatic finish under the advancing Yassine Bounou.
Late drama and shootout
The Oranje looked to have done enough until Morocco substitute Issa Diop stole in to head home Chemsdine Talbi's left-wing cross in the first minute of stoppage time, forcing extra time. Verbruggen pulled off a sensational point-blank save from Soufiane Rahimi as the clock ticked down.
Bounou was the hero in the shootout, making crucial saves as Morocco secured a 3-2 victory on penalties. The Atlas Lions will now face World Cup co-hosts Canada in the Round of 16 on 4 July.
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