Morocco Strike Again: Netherlands Eliminated on Penalties
Morocco beat the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties after Issa Diop's stoppage-time header forced extra time. The Atlas Lions reach the Round of 16 again
Morocco beat the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey on Monday 29 June after the Round of 32 tie finished 1-1 following extra time. Cody Gakpo had put the Netherlands 1-0 up in the 72nd minute. Issa Diop headed home in the first minute of stoppage time to force extra time. Ismael Saibari scored the winning penalty after Yassine Bounou saved from Crysencio Summerville. The Atlas Lions become the tournament's darling again
Morocco beat the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey on 29 June 2026 in the Round of 32. The match finished 1-1: Cody Gakpo scored for the Netherlands in the 72nd minute, Issa Diop equalised in the first minute of stoppage time. Morocco advance to face Canada
How did Morocco beat the Netherlands at the 2026 World Cup?
The Netherlands controlled possession through a physical first half at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey. Neither side found the breakthrough before the break. Ronald Koeman's side pushed harder after the restart and Cody Gakpo delivered the opener in the 72nd minute.
Morocco replied deep into stoppage time. Chemsdine Talbi drifted a cross from around 28 yards out on the left. Issa Diop met it with a clean header past Bart Verbruggen in the first minute of added time. The equaliser sent the match to extra time.
Soufiane Rahimi thought Morocco had won it in the 96th minute. Verbruggen produced a jaw-dropping save to keep the Dutch alive. No further goals arrived in the additional half hour. The match went to penalties.
Achraf Hakimi's spot-kick struck the base of the woodwork. Yassine Bounou saved Crysencio Summerville's fourth Netherlands penalty. Ismael Saibari stepped up in the fifth round and scored the winning penalty to send Morocco through to a Round of 16 tie with Canada.
Bounou's save and Hakimi's miss: the shootout drama in Monterrey
The shootout carried the drama Qatar 2022 had promised. Achraf Hakimi, the captain and the man who scored the winning penalty against Spain in 2022, hit the woodwork with his opening effort. His low, right-footed effort cannoned off the base of the post.
Bounou made the decisive save. The Morocco goalkeeper, who was the hero of Morocco's 2022 run, plunged low to his right to keep out Crysencio Summerville's fourth Dutch penalty. It was the shootout moment that turned the tie.
Saibari finished it. The forward, whose earlier goal against Brazil at MetLife Stadium had already made him one of the tournament's names, stepped up in the fifth round and put his penalty past Verbruggen. Morocco 3, Netherlands 2. The Atlas Lions had done it again.
The Dutch exit means Ronald Koeman leaves the tournament with a Round of 32 shootout loss after the group-stage draw with Japan and a struggle to find their attacking rhythm across five matches.
What Morocco's win means for the Atlas Lions' 2026 knockout run
Morocco are back in familiar territory. Walid Regragui's side reached the Round of 16 in 2022 and went all the way to the semi-finals, becoming the first African and first Arab nation ever to reach the final four of a World Cup. The 2026 version has already produced a group-stage draw against Brazil, and now this shootout win over the Netherlands.
The Round of 16 tie is with Canada at NRG Stadium in Houston on Saturday. Canada beat South Africa in their Round of 32 tie. Morocco go in as favourites given their 2022 pedigree and the pattern of tournament football they have established under Regragui.
The bracket now opens for the Atlas Lions. Neither France nor Spain nor Brazil sits in their side of the draw. Morocco's path to another semi-final is genuinely realistic. The Qatar story is not over.