Morocco Crush Canada to Storm into World Cup Quarterfinals

News Desk

Houston: Morocco’s unbeaten run continued in style as the African side powered into the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals with a commanding 3-0 victory over Canada in Houston on Saturday, ending the Canadians’ historic tournament campaign.

Midfielder Azzedine Ounahi starred with two second-half goals after a quiet opening 45 minutes, while Soufiane Rahimi sealed the win deep into stoppage time as Morocco reached the last eight for the second consecutive World Cup.

Ranked sixth in the FIFA standings and now unbeaten in 34 matches, Morocco will face the winner of France versus Paraguay in the quarterfinals on June 9 in Boston.

Canada, ranked 30th in the world, made an energetic start and controlled much of the first half, creating several early chances. Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou denied Jonathan David and Tani Oluwaseyi with a series of impressive saves to keep the match scoreless.

Morocco broke the deadlock five minutes into the second half when Achraf Hakimi’s clever free-kick routine found Ounahi, who fired a first-time shot into the bottom corner.

Canada pushed for an equaliser, with Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan both going close, but Bounou again stood firm. Morocco then punished the Canadians on the counterattack as Ounahi netted his second goal in the 82nd minute after combining with Brahim Diaz.

Rahimi completed the scoring in stoppage time to cap an efficient Moroccan performance.

The victory came despite a setback for Morocco, who lost leading scorer Ismael Saibari to a suspected hamstring injury in the first half. The 25-year-old had scored in all three group-stage matches and is set to join Germany’s Bayern Munich from PSV Eindhoven.

Although Canada’s remarkable run came to an end, the tournament marked a historic breakthrough for Jesse Marsch’s side, who advanced beyond the group stage and claimed their first-ever World Cup knockout victory by defeating South Africa 1-0 in the Round of 32.