Morocco Defeats 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 at NRG Stadium in Houston. Azzedine Ounahi scored twice in the second half, and Soufiane Rahimi added a stoppage-time goal. Ounahi opened the scoring in the 50th minute with a strike from outside the box after a free kick.

He added a second goal in the 82nd minute on a counterattack. Rahimi, who entered in the 22nd minute after Ismael Saibari left with a hamstring injury, scored in the final minute of second-half stoppage time. Canada recorded twice as many shots as Morocco, double the final-third entries, and 11 corner kicks.

Six yellow cards were issued in the first half. After the match, security attempted to take a Palestinian flag from a Moroccan fan in the concourse at NRG Stadium, according to @MarioNawfal. ” Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said all players are doing a great job and the team has a very good group.

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. 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 campaign included 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 loss to Morocco.