Morocco Dominates Canada to Reach Quarterfinals Again

HOUSTON — Morocco no longer knocks on the door of world football’s elite. It walks straight through it.

Azzedine Ounahi struck twice and Soufiane Rahimi added a late flourish as Morocco beat Canada 3-0 in the World Cup round of 16 on Saturday, becoming the first African nation ever to reach the quarterfinals more than once.

This is not a fairy tale anymore. It’s a standard.

“We are no longer a surprise,” coach Mohamed Ouahbi said through a translator. “Now when people talk about Morocco we’re a major contender and it’s a great source of pride. I think it’s only the beginning and I hope we continue to have runs like this.”

They intend to. And they’re not shy about saying it.

“We want to keep going,” Ouahbi added. “We don’t want to stop.”

Morocco step on the gas

For 45 minutes, Houston simmered without a breakthrough. Canada pressed, probed, and for long spells controlled the tempo. Morocco absorbed it, waited, and trusted its quality.

Then the game flipped.

Five minutes after the restart, Achraf Hakimi stood over a free kick and whipped the ball into a crowded area. It broke to Ounahi outside the box, and the midfielder didn’t hesitate. A right-footed drive, low and true, cut through the traffic and kissed the bottom right corner.

One chance. One ruthless finish. Morocco 1, Canada 0.

The goal released the tension, and with it came a familiar swagger from a team ranked sixth in the world by FIFA and carrying the weight of a continent’s expectations.

“We are so proud to represent Africa because it’s a continent with a lot of talent and Africa deserves to be in the best level in football,” said goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Canada kept coming, though. This wasn’t a side content to fade away in its own historic moment.

Canada’s brave run meets a hard edge

Co-host Canada arrived here on the back of its first-ever World Cup knockout win, a 1-0 victory over South Africa that had pulled a hockey-obsessed nation deeper into football. This was only their third World Cup, but they played like they belonged on this stage.

They did it without Alphonso Davies for almost the entire tournament. The Bayern Munich star managed just 15 minutes as a substitute against South Africa before a hamstring injury shut him down again.

“His hamstring didn’t feel right,” coach Jesse Marsch said. “We were hoping that by the time he woke up this morning that he would feel better, but he didn’t.”

Even without their talisman, Canada refused to back down. Jonathan David had a free kick from outside the box in the 78th minute but leaned back and watched it sail over the bar. Moments later, Tajon Buchanan let fly from about 30 yards, forcing Bounou into a full-stretch, diving save.

Bounou, born in Canada to Moroccan parents, finished with three saves and a clean sheet. On a night loaded with storylines, that one carried a personal edge.

Canada’s performance left Marsch both proud and defiant.

“I told them that I was proud of them and I challenged them to understand that we can play like this all the time against the best teams in the world,” he said. “We can be better on the day. And then the challenge is, can we hold that standard for 90 minutes?”

He went further when asked about Morocco’s ranking.

“The way we pushed, the way we were in the match, the quality we showed, the overall impact in the match, we were better,” Marsch said. “We were better than the No. 7 team in the world today.”

Ouahbi didn’t let that slide.

“In terms of intensity they were good,” he replied. “They were good for 98 minutes. Were they better? It’s hard to say. It takes some nerve to say that when you lose 3-nil.”

Ounahi kills the contest

Canada’s push left space. Morocco waited for the moment to punish it.

In the 82nd minute, that moment arrived. Brahim Díaz found Ounahi in the heart of the box. Again, the midfielder’s right foot did the damage, this time from closer range. Composed, clinical, 2-0.

The scoreline finally matched the authority Morocco had begun to exert.

By then, the match had turned into a grind. Eight yellow cards told the story of the edge that ran through it. Hakimi and Richie Laryea both went into the book after a flashpoint in the 40th minute, when Hakimi shoved Laryea to the turf and Laryea retaliated, sparking a brief scuffle.

Morocco also lost midfielder Ismael Saibari to injury in the 22nd minute, another reminder that this campaign is being paid for in more than just sweat.

Still, the African side never loosened its grip once it tightened. Canada, brave and aggressive, kept searching for a lifeline. Morocco slammed the door instead.

Deep into stoppage time, Rahimi added the final touch, slotting home in the last minute of added time to complete the 3-0 scoreline. A flourish, not a necessity.

A continent’s standard-bearer moves on

This was a rematch of their group-stage meeting at the last World Cup, when Morocco beat Canada 2-1 on the way to a historic fourth-place finish and a semifinal that changed African football’s ceiling.

Now they’ve backed it up.

It’s their second straight quarterfinal appearance, and this time they go there not as outsiders riding emotion, but as a hardened, ranked heavyweight with a clear sense of who they are.

Morocco will face the winner of Saturday’s Paraguay-France tie on Thursday at Boston Stadium. Another European giant could await. Or a South American spoiler.

Either way, Morocco will walk into that quarterfinal not as a guest at the party, but as a team fully intent on staying until the very end.