Morocco Cruise into World Cup Quarter-finals with 3-0 Victory over Canada

Darwin, 05 July : Morocco secured their place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals with a commanding 3-0 win over Canada, ending the co-hosts’ impressive tournament run.

In the Round of 16 clash played in Houston on Sunday, the first half ended goalless. However, two stunning goals from Azzedine Ounahi in the second half, followed by Sofiane Rahimi’s stoppage-time strike, sealed a convincing victory for the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists.

Canada were the more attacking side during the opening half, creating several promising chances through Jonathan David and Tani Oluwaseyi. However, Morocco’s experienced goalkeeper Yassine Bounou produced a series of crucial saves to keep the score level. Morocco also threatened on the counterattack, but neither side managed to break the deadlock before halftime.

The first half was marked more by physicality than flowing football. In a remarkable World Cup statistic—the first since 1966—the number of yellow cards shown (six) exceeded the number of shots on target (five) in the opening 45 minutes.

Morocco emerged with greater attacking intent after the break and took the lead in the 50th minute when captain Achraf Hakimi set up Azzedine Ounahi, who fired home with an excellent finish. Ounahi doubled both his tally and Morocco’s lead in the 82nd minute, finishing off a well-worked move created by Brahim Díaz.

Morocco came close to extending their advantage again in the 85th minute, but substitute striker Sofiane Rahimi’s powerful header struck the crossbar. Deep into stoppage time (90+8), Rahimi finally got his goal, converting another assist from Brahim Díaz to complete the 3-0 scoreline.

Canada, meanwhile, dominated possession for 81 percent of the final 15 minutes but failed to turn that control into clear scoring opportunities. In the closing moments, goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau joined the attack for a last-ditch set piece, leaving Canada’s defense exposed. Morocco capitalized on the counterattack, with Brahim Díaz providing Rahimi for the final goal that put the result beyond doubt.

With this emphatic victory, Morocco advance to the quarter-finals, where they will face either France or Paraguay.