Morocco defeated co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the World Cup round of 16 in Houston, with Azzedine Ounahi scoring twice and Soufiane Rahimi adding a stoppage-time third, according to the match report.
Ounahi opened the scoring in the 50th minute after a setup from Achraf Hakimi that followed a Canadian defensive lapse. His second goal came later after a move created by Brahim Díaz’s quick feet, and Rahimi completed the victory on a counterattack while Canada had pushed players forward.
Canada coach Jesse Marsch maintained that his side had been the better team for large stretches, saying: “We were the better team. They [Morocco] made a couple more plays than us. … We were the much better team in the first half, and at the beginning of the second half. It was one play that made it 1-0. Otherwise, the game was ours.”
Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi rejected that assessment, telling reporters, “In terms of intensity, they [Canada] were good. They were good for 98 minutes. Were they better? It’s hard to say. … We were better than them in the second half.” Ounahi added that Canada “caused us a lot of problems in the first half.”
The match featured a surprising first half in which Canada were dominant despite Morocco having 65% possession. Morocco recorded just one first-half shot and a first-half expected goals (xG) of 0.02, with 11 passes in the attacking third compared with Canada’s 38. Jonathan David and Tani Oluwaseyi each had chances that were denied by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who was born in Montreal before his family returned to Morocco. Morocco also lost Ismael Saibari to an early injury, and Hakimi and Díaz were largely subdued in the opening 45 minutes; Díaz touched the ball 14 times before halftime.
The result extended Morocco’s run of composed knockout performances across consecutive World Cups and, according to the match report, positions them as a dangerous opponent for either France or Paraguay in the quarterfinals. Canada were left to consider a missed opportunity after a strong start.
