Morocco has sent the Netherlands out of the 2026 World Cup with a dramatic penalty shootout win after the exciting match ended 1-1 on Monday night.
On June 29, Morocco advanced to the round of 16 after Ismael Saibari netted the decisive penalty to send the team into the next round.
After the shootout was tied at 2-all, Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made a strong save of Crysencio Summerville's attempt, batting it away with his left hand, before Saibari stepped up to seal the result with a 3-2 shootout win.
The team will now face Canada in the round of 16 match on Saturday in Houston.
Emotional goal by Cody Gakpo
Netherlands' Cody Gakpo scored the first goal of the match in the 72nd minute, assisted by Crysencio Summerville.
After scoring the goal, the 27-year-old broke down in tears amid personal tragedy, as Gakpo and his partner, Noa van der Bij, recently announced that they lost their unborn child.
Equaliser by Issa Dipo
Following the heartfelt score, Morocco's Issa Dipo scored the equaliser in the 91st minute.
While the team tried to score another goal in extra time, the Dutch goalkeeper saved the shot.
It was the second game of the tournament to be concluded with a penalty shootout, as Paraguay defeated Germany on penalties earlier on Monday to secure their spot in the round of 16.
The win marked the first time that Paraguay would play in the round of 16 at the World Cup since 2010.
Paraguay will next face France or Sweden on Saturday, July 4, at Philadelphia Stadium.
On the other hand, Brazil defeated Japan with a 2-1 score to reach the round of 16 in Monday's clash.
Gabriel Martinelli scored the winning goal late in injury time to give five-time champions Brazil a 2-1 win.
Brazil will next face the winner of the Ivory Coast vs Norway match on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Morocco's World Cup 2026 run
Morocco finished second in Group C with 7 points.
They kicked off the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Brazil and bagged victory against Scotland in the group stages with a 1-0 score.
In their last group match, they faced Haiti and won the game with a 4-2 score.
World Cup 2026 round of 32 schedule
As Canada, Paraguay, Brazil and Morocco advanced to the round of 16, here is the schedule for the remaining knockout stage matches.
Three games are set to take place on Tuesday, June 30, including Ivory Coast vs Norway (Dallas Stadium), France vs Sweden (New York/New Jersey Stadium) and Mexico vs Ecuador (Mexico City Stadium).
England vs DR Congo (Atlanta Stadium), Belgium vs Senegal (Seattle Stadium) and USA vs Bosnia (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium) are set for Wednesday, July 1, to battle for a round of 16 position.
Moreover, fans will enjoy games, including Spain vs Austria (LA Stadium), Portugal vs Croatia (Toronto Stadium) and Switzerland vs Algeria (BC Place, Vancouver) on Thursday, July 2.
The final matches for the round of 16 will take place on Friday, July 3, as Australia will face Egypt in Dallas Stadium; Argentina will clash with the 2026 World Cup miracle team Cape Verde in Miami Stadium; and Colombia will take on Ghana in Kansas City Stadium.
