Amir Yaseen

Srinagar, July 5

Azzedine Ounahi transformed a tense knockout contest with two second-half goals as Morocco defeated co-host Canada 3-0 on Saturday, ending the Canadians’ memorable FIFA World Cup run and booking a second consecutive appearance in the quarter-finals.

Soufiane Rahimi added a stoppage-time goal to seal the victory for the Atlas Lions, who once again demonstrated the resilience that carried them to a historic semi-final appearance four years ago. Morocco will now travel to Boston for a quarter-final against either France or Paraguay on July 9.

For Canada, the defeat brought an emotional end to the nation’s finest World Cup campaign. After recording its first-ever World Cup victory earlier in the tournament and reaching the Round of 16 for the first time, the co-hosts exited with heads held high despite the lopsided scoreline.

Canada looked the sharper side throughout the opening 45 minutes, pressing aggressively and forcing Morocco onto the back foot.

Their best opportunity came after Ali Ahmed capitalized on a defensive mistake and slipped Tani Oluwaseyi through on goal, but Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou—born in Canada—reacted brilliantly, stretching out his left foot to preserve the deadlock.

Morocco struggled to establish any rhythm and suffered another setback midway through the first half when leading tournament scorer Ismael Saibari limped off with an apparent muscle injury, forcing coach Mohamed Ouahbi into an early substitution.

The game changed moments after halftime.

Morocco executed a rehearsed set-piece to perfection in the 50th minute. Achraf Hakimi rolled a free kick across the edge of the penalty area, where Ounahi arrived unmarked to sweep a first-time strike beyond Maxime Crépeau and inside the left post.

The goal shifted momentum entirely.

Although Tajon Buchanan tested Bounou with a low effort as Canada searched for an equalizer, Morocco increasingly found space on the counterattack. Ounahi effectively settled the contest in the 82nd minute, collecting a layoff from Brahim Díaz before hammering a finish into the roof of the net for his first World Cup goals.

Rahimi completed the scoring deep into stoppage time, racing onto another incisive pass from Díaz and calmly finishing after earlier striking the crossbar.

Ounahi’s performance also secured a place in Morocco’s football history. He became the first Moroccan player to score twice in a World Cup knockout match and only the third player from the country to register a brace at the tournament, following Abdelrazzak Khairi in 1986 and Salaheddine Bassir in 1998.

The victory also made Morocco the first African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals on more than one occasion, underlining the country’s growing stature on football’s biggest stage.

Named Superior Player of the Match, Ounahi acknowledged the challenge posed by Canada despite the convincing scoreline.

“I’m really happy to have scored today,” he said. “It wasn’t easy for us. Canada caused us problems, especially in the first half. This match will help us grow. We’ve seen that no game is easy in this competition, but the most important thing is that we’re through.”

Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi credited his team’s improved second-half display after surviving Canada’s early pressure.

“We reacted very well in the second half,” Ouahbi said. “Canada were impressive and played a top match, but we were able to profit from the space they left us, and that was the key.”

Canada coach Jesse Marsch believed the scoreline failed to reflect his side’s performance.

“We were the much better team in the first half,” Marsch said. “It’s the fine details. They have a little more quality in the final third, and that made the difference.”

Despite the disappointment, Canada’s breakthrough tournament offered a glimpse of a promising future. Morocco, meanwhile, marches on with another deep World Cup run firmly within reach.

Match information, quotes, and photos courtesy of FIFA.com