Bounou saves, Saibari scores, and Morocco fall into Sajda to sink the Dutch
A 91st-minute equaliser, goalkeeper's decisive save and ice-cold nerves from spot carried Morocco past Dutch in Monterrey — and deeper into World Cup that increasingly feels like theirs
By MNTV Staff Writer
Morocco are not done dreaming. On a fractious, heart-stopping night at Estadio Monterrey, the Atlas Lions came from behind to knock the Netherlands out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, drawing 1-1 after extra time before winning a tense, miss-strewn penalty shootout 3-2 to reach the Round of 16.
It was a result that few outside Morocco would have called when Cody Gakpo struck what looked to be the winner with 18 minutes to play — and one that perfectly captured the defiance that has come to define this team.
Four years after becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final, Morocco have served notice that their run in Qatar was no one-off.
A late dagger, just when it mattered
For long stretches it was Morocco who looked the likelier.
Inside the opening 20 minutes, Neil El Aynaoui met an Achraf Hakimi corner only to be denied by a superb reflex stop from Bart Verbruggen, and the Dutch goalkeeper was soon called upon again to tip a vicious Hakimi strike over the bar.
The Atlas Lions, as they so often do, were content to invite pressure and strike through the spaces left behind.
Yet it was the Netherlands who broke through. In the 72nd minute Gakpo found the net and sank to the turf, overcome with emotion as teammates swarmed him; the Oranje, sensing a place in the next round, retreated to protect the lead.
It is a familiar gamble against this Morocco side, and a dangerous one.
Deep into stoppage time, substitute Chemsdine Talbi swung in a cross from the left and an unmarked Issa Diop rose to glance a header home in the 91st minute — his first international goal — to stun the Dutch and force extra time.
The additional 30 minutes brought no goals but no shortage of drama. Substitute Soufiane Rahimi burst clear in the 96th minute and looked certain to win it, only for Verbruggen to produce a jaw-dropping save that kept the Netherlands alive and dragged the tie to penalties.
Bounou the hero, Saibari the finisher
The shootout was a nervy, error-strewn affair that both sides seemed determined to lose.
Morocco’s first taker, El Aynaoui, rattled the crossbar; the Netherlands’ Justin Kluivert answered by striking the post.
Quinten Timber missed for the Dutch, and even captain Hakimi could not settle it, his effort coming back off the woodwork.
It came down, as these nights so often do, to the goalkeeper.
Yassine Bounou — long Morocco’s shootout talisman — guessed well and got a strong hand to Crysencio Summerville’s kick to keep his side in front. That left Ismael Saibari, the breakout star of Morocco’s tournament, to step up.
He made no mistake, rolling a low penalty into the corner as Verbruggen dived the wrong way, then tearing off his shirt to wheel away in celebration. 3-2.
Morocco were through.
What followed has become one of the defining images of this team.
Almost as one, the Moroccan players dropped to the turf in sujood — the prostration of thanks to God, known as sajdat shukr — heads bowed to the ground in prayer before they rose to celebrate with their travelling supporters.
It is the same gesture of gratitude the Atlas Lions performed throughout their run to the semi-finals in 2022, and one that resonates far beyond the pitch with Muslim fans around the world.
History repeats for Dutch
For the Netherlands, it was a chastening and historic exit. As several outlets noted, it is the first time the Dutch have ever failed to reach the Round of 16 at a World Cup for which they qualified — and another tournament ends with the question of a maiden World Cup title still unanswered, a wait that will now stretch to at least 2030.
The match also added fuel to a wider talking point of these finals.
With Germany having tumbled out to Paraguay on penalties earlier the same day, the expanded Round of 32 — criticised in some quarters before the tournament — delivered exactly the kind of giant-felling jeopardy its defenders promised.
On to Canada, and beyond
Morocco’s reward is a Round of 16 meeting with co-hosts Canada in Houston on July 4.
For a side ranked a record fifth in the world coming into the tournament, and carrying the hopes of a continent that has sent an unprecedented nine teams into the knockouts, the destination matters as much as the journey now.
They have done it the hard way once again — second-best on the scoreboard with minutes to go, saved by a defender’s header, dragged through extra time and settled only on the final kick.
But Morocco have made a habit of turning the narrowest of margins into the grandest of nights.
The Atlas Lions march on, and the rest of the field has been warned.
This story is part of Muslim Network TV’s ongoing coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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