Morocco Beats Canada 3-0 in World Cup Round of 16

Morocco defeated Canada 3-0 in a FIFA World Cup round-of-16 match on July 4 in Houston. Azzedine Ounahi scored both of his goals in the second half after a scoreless first period. Ounahi opened the scoring in the 50th minute with a strike from outside the box following a free kick.

He added a second goal in the 82nd minute on a counterattack. Soufiane Rahimi scored the third goal in the final minute of second-half stoppage time. Ismael Saibari left the match with a hamstring injury in the 22nd minute and was replaced by Rahimi.

Canada recorded twice as many shots as Morocco, double the final-third entries, and 11 corner kicks, yet failed to score. Six yellow cards were issued in the first half. Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said all players are doing a great job and the team has a very good group.

Morocco coach Mohamed Oauhbi said he did not know Saibari’s status for the July 9 quarterfinal. Canada coach Jesse Marsch said Canada was the better team but Morocco made a couple more plays. Canada midfielder Stephen Eustáquio said the gap between the teams is not that big and Canada must keep pushing.

Morocco forward Brahim Diaz said the team kept its head up after a poor first half and he is proud of the team. Azzedine Ounahi said he is proud of the whole group and they share the same goal. Morocco is scheduled to play either Paraguay or France in the quarterfinals.

Canada’s 2026 World Cup campaign consisted of a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12, a 6-0 win against Qatar on June 18, a 2-1 loss to Switzerland on June 24, a 1-0 win against South Africa on June 28, and the 0-3 loss to Morocco on July 4.