FIFA World Cup 2026: Morocco defeats Netherlands on penalties to reach Round of 16

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Updated - June 30, 2026 10:26 am IST - Monterrey, Mexico Morocco players celebrate after the penalty shootout win over the Netherlands in the round of 32 stage of the World Cup, on June 29, 2026 | Photo Credit: Reuters Morocco defeated the Netherlands in a penalty shootout to advance to the last 16 of the World Cup on Monday (June 29, 2026) after a thrilling battle in Monterrey finished 1-1 after extra-time. Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made the crucial save to block the Netherlands' fifth penalty from Crysencio Summerville before striker Ismael Saibari stepped up to blast home the winning spot-kick that sealed a 3-2 shootout win. Netherlands vs Morocco, FIFA World Cup highlights The victory sends Morocco into a last 16 clash with Canada in Houston on Saturday. An enthralling match had gone to extra time after Issa Diop had glanced in a dramatic equaliser for Morocco in the first minute of stoppage time as the Netherlands closed in on victory. The Dutch had taken the lead midway through the second half with a goal from Cody Gakpo, playing just days after his partner had confirmed the death of the couple's unborn son. Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saves a penalty from Netherlands' Crysencio Summerville | Photo Credit: Reuters Liverpool forward Gakpo sank to the turf and appeared overcome with emotion as he was surrounded by team-mates in a prolonged group embrace. But Morocco forced extra time when an unmarked Diop headed home from substitute Chemsdine Talbi's cross in injury time. Morocco had created the better chances of a fractious encounter, which saw players from both sides flying into tackles to test the patience of Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio. The Atlas Lions almost took the lead on 20 minutes when Neil al-Aynaoui glanced an Achraf Hakimi corner goalwards only to be denied by a superb reflex save from Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. Verbruggen was pressed into action moments later, this time doing well to tip a vicious strike from Hakimi over the bar. Netherlands' Cody Gakpo scores the first goal against Morocco | Photo Credit: Reuters The fierce nature of the contest was on full display midway through the half when Saibari was lucky to escape sanction after elbowing Jan Paul van Hecke in the face. The Dutch continued to enjoy plenty of possession but were unable to convert it into goalscoring chances. Their best effort came on 44 minutes when Tottenham's Micky van de Ven uncorked a ferocious shot from the edge of the area that was tipped over by Bounou. Van Hecke continued to find himself in the thick of the action, and after bloodying his head in a collision in the penalty area, made his presence felt with a crunching tackle that upended el-Aynaoui just before half-time. As the half ended Saibari just failed to connect with a cross that flashed across the Dutch goal before going behind. The drama continued into an end-to-end second half, but appeared to have tilted in the Netherlands' favour when coach Ronald Koeman brought on forward Wout Weghorst in a flurry of substitutions after the hydration break. Morocco's Issa Diop scores against Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen | Photo Credit: AP Weghorst made an immediate impact flicking on a long ball to send Summerville bearing in on goal. Summerville crossed to Gakpo, who hurled himself at the ball to score. The Netherlands, superbly marshalled by Gakpo's Liverpool team-mate Virgil van Dijk, appeared to be heading for victory but Diop's late header sent it to extra-time. Morocco looked to have made the breakthrough when Soufiane Rahimi went through on goal in the 96th minute, only to be denied by a jaw-dropping save from Verbruggen. The Netherlands held on for penalties but despite Morocco missing their first when El-Aynaoui hit the bar, the north Africans recovered to win. Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting yo

FIFA World Cup 2026: Morocco defeats Netherlands on penalties to reach Round of 16

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FIFA World Cup 2026: Morocco defeats Netherlands on penalties to reach Round of 16

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