Morocco qualified for the World Cup quarter-finals for the second time in a row with a 3-0 win over Canada on Saturday, securing the first quarter-final spot for the 2026 World Cup to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Moroccans scored all three goals in the second half, taking the lead with a brace from midfielder Azzedine Ounahi in the 50th and 82nd minutes.
Onahi celebrated scoring his first World Cup goal, bringing his tally to 11 goals in 54 international appearances.
Substitute Soufiane Rahimi added the third goal in the 98th minute.
With this victory, the Moroccans repeated their superiority over Canada for the second time in a row after winning 2-1 in the group stage of the last World Cup edition held in 2022 in Qatar.
The Moroccan national team awaits a possible revenge match in the quarter-finals, as they will meet the winner of Paraguay vs. France, who defeated the Atlas Lions 2-0 in the 2022 World Cup.
The first half ended in a goalless draw, with the Canadian team launching a high-pressure attack and threatening the Atlas Lions' goal twice. However, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was alert and made two saves against Jonathan David and Tani Oluwasi during the first 10 minutes.
The Moroccans suffered a major blow when the team's technical director, Mohamed Wahbi, was forced to substitute Ismail Sibari, with Soufiane Rahimi taking his place after only 22 minutes.
And the newly transferred Al-Sibari from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven to German club Bayern Munich remains Morocco’s most dangerous attacking weapon, having scored 3 goals against Brazil, Scotland and Haiti in the group stage, in addition to the decisive penalty kick in the victory over the Netherlands in the round of 32.
The Atlas Lions did not deliver a convincing performance in the first half, and only managed one weak shot on goal from Soufiane Rahimi, which the Canadian goalkeeper easily caught.
Apart from that, the Moroccan stars did not make an impactful contribution, and the team was marred by tension, as four players received warnings: Ashraf Hakimi, the team captain, Redouane Halhal, Ezzedine Ounahi, and Bilal El Khannous.
The Moroccan team appeared with a different face in the second half, benefiting from an early goal scored by Azzedine Ounahi after five minutes with a shot from the edge of the penalty area after a free kick taken by Hakimi.
Onahi celebrated his tenth goal for his national team and his first in the World Cup.
By the 63rd minute, Wahbi moved to revitalize his team's ranks with two substitutions at once, bringing on Sofyan Amrabat and Shamseddine Talbi in place of El Khannous and Bouadi. Canada's coach, Jesse Marsh, responded by taking off Oluwasi and bringing on Sil Larin, who almost scored a goal four minutes after coming on, were it not for Bono's quick exit to clear the ball, which resulted in a warning for the Canadian striker due to a reckless tackle.
Canada pressed hard during the last quarter of an hour of the match in an attempt to equalize, with Jonathan David firing a free kick over the bar, and Bono then saving a long-range shot from Buchanan.
However, Canada left large gaps in its defense line as a result of the offensive surge, which the Moroccan players exploited brilliantly in counter-attacks, as Ibrahim Diaz passed the ball to Onahi, who then shot powerfully from inside the penalty area, scoring his second goal and the second goal for his national team.
Ounahi not only scored twice, but he was also the hero of a new counter-attack, during which he passed a cross ball to his teammate Soufiane Rahimi, who headed it perfectly, but the ball rebounded off the crossbar, missing the chance for a third goal in the 85th minute.
A few minutes after this opportunity, Onahi left the field along with his teammate Issa Diop, to be replaced by Samir El Morabit and Marouane Saadane, in an attempt by coach Mohamed Wahbi to run down the clock and calm the enthusiasm of the Canadian players.
The Canadians continued to attack in vain after wasted attempts by Promes David, Jayden Nelson and Alastair Johnston, and fell into the trap of counter-attacks again with an attack that ended with a decisive pass from Diaz to Soufiane Rahimi who scored the third goal for the Moroccans in the 98th minute before the final whistle.
