Morocco Ousts Netherlands in Dramatic World Cup Penalty Shootout

Morocco advanced to the round of 16 after defeating the Netherlands in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw Monday night in Guadalupe, Mexico.

Ismael Saibari scored the decisive penalty to put Morocco, who were semifinalists in the 2022 tournament, through and eliminated Ronald Koeman and the Dutch at the earliest stage of the men’s World Cup in the country’s history.

With the shootout level at 2-2 after four rounds, Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made a strong left-handed save on Crysencio Summerville’s attempt. Saibari then placed the winner into the low left corner as goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen dived in the opposite direction.

Morocco will next face Canada in the round of 16 on Saturday in Houston.

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Cody Gakpo had earlier given the Dutch a 1-0 lead with a goal in the 72nd minute. His teammate Crysencio Summerville provided the assist on the score.

Following the goal, members of the Dutch bench ran onto the field to celebrate with Gakpo, who was visibly emotional and broke down in tears.

Gakpo and his partner, Noa van der Bij, had recently shared that their unborn child had died.

Morocco equalized in stoppage time when Issa Diop headed in a long cross from Chemsdine Talbi in the 91st minute.

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In extra time, Morocco nearly grabbed the lead in the 97th minute after Soufiane Rahimi’s footwork created a one-on-one chance with Verbruggen, but the Dutch goalkeeper deflected the shot.

Outside of Rahimi’s opportunity, neither team produced a strong scoring chance through 30 minutes of extra time at Estadio BBVA.

The match was the second of the tournament to end in a shootout. Earlier Monday, Paraguay had beaten Germany on penalties in Foxborough, Massachusetts, to move on to the round of 16.

Morocco, ranked sixth in the world, and the Netherlands, ranked seventh, entered with the highest combined ranking of any round‑of‑32 matchup.

The Netherlands had previously reached at least the round of 16 in eight World Cup appearances, including the quarterfinals four years ago, while Morocco reached the semifinals at that same tournament.

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