And Morocco continues to make headlines. In a round of 32 match that seemed like it could be decided in 90 minutes, the Africans agonizingly drew 1-1 against the Netherlands, but ultimately managed to defeat them in a penalty shootout with many surprising misses by 3-2, thus securing their well-deserved qualification to the round of 16.
The first minutes of the match would be marked by a extreme parity between both teams, which did not allow for clear chances. This monotony would be broken at 19, when the Moroccans created two extremely dangerous opportunities: a header from Neil El Aynaoui after a corner from Achraf Hakimi and, shortly after, a powerful shot from Hakimi himself from outside the box, both brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
Unfortunately for the Africans, who would gain confidence after these opportunities, and for the spectacle itself, the first cooling break would completely dampen the match, which would not see any notable plays for the rest of the first half, except for a long-range shot from Micky van de Ven at 43, which Yassine Bonou would deflect for a corner.
In the second half, "The Atlas Lions" would again be close to opening the scoring: at 51, Hakimi would receive the ball in the Dutch area and take a strong shot that hit the crossbar before going out. Less than 5 minutes later, the PSG player would almost have a one-on-one with Verbruggen, but a timely intervention from van de Ven would prevent it.
Just like in the first 45, the hydration break would be a salvation for "The Orange Machine". During the approximately 20 minutes that followed, they would be dominated by their rival, and the brief pause would help them get back into the game.
This would be felt almost instantly, as, after a touch from Crysencio Summerville on the ground at the edge of the area, Cody Gakpo would find the ball facing the goal and would not hesitate to beat Bonou and put the 1-0 lead. In the celebration, the Liverpool player was moved to tears due to the recent loss of his second unborn child, Elijah Raphael Gakpo (Note: he himself decided to stay with his national team despite this tragic news).
At the end, after trying time and again, the Moroccans would finally achieve their long-awaited and well-deserved goal. At 90, the substitute Chemsdine Talbi would deliver an excellent cross to the head of Issa Diop, who would send the ball into the net to score 1-1 and send the match into extra time.
In the first extra time, the Africans would be on the verge of turning the match around. At 96, Ismael Saibari would assist the substitute Soufiane Rahimi, who would shake off his markers inside the area to be alone against Verbruggen, but the Dutch goalkeeper, with one of the best saves of the World Cup, would miraculously save his team.
Clearly exhausted from all the play, both teams would slow down in the second half of extra time, and after 15 minutes that would be completely unnecessary, the winner would be decided in penalties.
The penalty shootout
1 | Netherlands | 1-0 | Teun Koopmeiners shot to the right and Bonou could not reach it
