Football gave everything it had at the Monterrey Stadium, and Morocco were still standing at the end of it. A 1-1 draw after extra time. A penalty shootout that hit every piece of woodwork imaginable. And Ismael Saibari, bleeding from a facial cut sustained in the 118th minute, stepped up in the shootout to send Morocco into the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026™. Yassine Bounou made the decisive save. The Netherlands are out.
Watch Morocco’s Round of 16 clash live on ZEE 5 — subscribe from ₹799 for three months and follow every moment of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ knockout stage.
A First Half of Saves and Near-Things
Both teams arrived with clear tactical identities and spent forty-five minutes testing whether the other had the answers. The Netherlands thought they had scored in the 16th minute — the flag went up immediately for offside. In the 20th minute, Achraf Hakimi struck a thunderous effort from distance that Bart Verbruggen clawed away with his fingertips after a corner sequence had created the chance.
The clearest Dutch opportunity came in the 44th minute. Micky van de Ven cut loose from outside the box and launched a rocket toward the top corner. Yassine Bounou dived full-length and tipped it over. Brilliant goalkeeping from Morocco’s number one — a save that in hindsight kept his team in the tie. Hakimi curled a dangerous free kick into the six-yard box in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Saibari barely missing at the back post. The half ended goalless, but not without drama.
Gakpo’s Goal and Grief
The Netherlands found the opening goal in the 72nd minute through a moment of chaos and quality. Wout Weghorst, introduced from the bench six minutes earlier to add target-man physicality, won a flick-on that drew Moroccan centre-back Shadi Riad out of position. Crysencio Summerville burst into the vacated space, was tackled, and the ball broke loose. Cody Gakpo reacted first and smashed it into the bottom right corner. 1-0.
Gakpo dropped to his knees. What followed was not celebration in the usual sense — it was grief, publicly expressed on the biggest stage in football. Gakpo has been carrying the pain of losing an unborn child through this tournament, and the emotion in that moment was raw and real. The Monterrey Stadium fell briefly quiet before recognising what they were witnessing.
Morocco refused to accept it. Walid Regragui introduced Chemsdine Talbi in the 89th minute, a direct wide player with fresh legs and nothing to lose. In the first minute of stoppage time, Talbi swung a magnificent cross into the box and Issa Diop powered a dominant header into the top right corner. 1-1. The stadium erupted. Extra time.
Watch every FIFA World Cup 2026™ knockout match live on ZEE 5 — the Round of 16 is coming.
Extra Time and Verbruggen’s Brilliance
Thirty minutes of extra time produced the best save of the entire match. Soufiane Rahimi danced past two exhausted Dutch defenders to stand one-on-one with Verbruggen. The Dutch goalkeeper threw himself at the shot and blocked it at point-blank range with his knee and arm. Extraordinary. Saibari required treatment in the 118th minute after sustaining a facial cut but returned to play — and to the penalty spot.
The Tie Breakers: Post, Saves, and Saibari
Teun Koopmeiners scored. El Aynaoui hit the crossbar. Justin Kluivert struck the post. Rahimi’s shot squirted under Verbruggen and over the line. Weghorst scored. Talbi scored. Quinten Timber blazed wide. Hakimi struck the post. After four rounds, 2-2. Everything, somehow, still to play for.
Summerville stepped up for the Netherlands needing to score to stay alive. Bounou held his ground, side-stepped right, and stuck out his left hand to block it away. Definitive. Match-winning. Then Saibari — legs tired, carrying the weight of a nation — sent Verbruggen the wrong way and buried it into the bottom left corner. Morocco 3-2. Done.
Watch Netherlands vs Morocco Match Highlight Free Only On ZEE5.
Follow Morocco’s journey in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Round of 16 — live on ZEE 5. ZEE5 FIFA Subscription from ₹799 for three months.
Disclaimer: Subscription pack prices are subject to change from time to time. Please visit the subscription page for the most up-to-date pricing information.