In case you thought the knockout bracket was going to start becoming less chaotic, Monterrey has just blown it all up. The Netherlands are out of the 2026 World Cup, as Morocco pulled off an absolutely sensational upset, winning a dramatic 120-minute slugfest on penalties, 3-2. This was not just an upset though, this was a proper battle from the underdogs as Morocco, stood up and traded blows with the Netherlands and got the final knock-out.
Oranje strike first, Morocco answers late
Netherlands open the scoring before a late Moroccan heroics come The Dutch came out playing like they wanted to dominate, but Morocco has proven time and time again that defending deep and compact against them is more painful than ever.
Ronald Koeman brought on Wout Weghorst who put his body on the line to establish physical dominance in the box which gave rise to a well played goal in the 72nd minute. Wout Weghorst is the physically presence that the Netherlands were missing as he bullied his man and finds Crysencio Summerville, who slid a gorgeous pass through to Cody Gakpo to bury the finish. For him and his family it was an extremely emotional goal that saw him in tears post the match.
Just when The Netherlands thought they were coasting home to the Round of 16, Moroccan substitute Issa Diop equalized deep in stoppage time (90+1’) for his first-ever World Cup goal, heading home a long pass over the top of the Dutch defence, completely silencing The Netherlands fans and sending the game into Extra time.
Extra time and a shootout
The final 30 minutes were an extremely nervy and cagey affairs though, and the Dutch keeper Bart Verbruggen had to make an incredible point blank save to prevent Soufiane Rahimi from putting the Atlas Lions in front late into extra time.
As the dust settled, it all came down to the spot from 12-yards out. From there it was sheer pressure. The Netherlands really did self implode during the shootout, Justin Kluivert missing the penalty, and just two minutes later Quinten Timber also missed.
Yet in their time of crisis it was Moroccan Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou who rose to the occasion, saving a critical fifth penalty shot to prevent the Dutch from going up and setting up a potential winner for his country which Ismail Saibari, the 225 year old attacking midfield absolutely nailed the fifth penalty to send Morocco through.
Congratulations to Morocco, who will head down to Houston to take on Canada for the round of 16.
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