- It’s Morocco 3 vs Netherlands 2
- As Ronald Koeman’s cautious tactics backfire
PSV Eindhoven’s attacking midfielder, Ismael Saibari delivered the final blow that saw Morocco pulling off another sensational upset to eliminate the Netherlands from the FIFA World Cup Round of 32
The 25-year-old playmaker buried the decisive spot-kick that sent the Atlas Lions through to the last 16 round and left The Netherlands facing serious questions after a deeply disappointing exit from the tournament early Tuesday morning.
Not taking the deserved credit away from the North Africans’ dogged performance, the Oranje were dismissed from the El Mundial in brutal fashion. Coach Ronald Koeman’s side looked minutes away from surviving an underwhelming knockout performance after Cody Gakpo’s 72nd-minute goal, only for Issa Diop to force extra time with a stoppage-time header before Morocco came out tops 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
For long stretches, the Dutch were second-best. Morocco dominated possession, cut through their opponents’ defence and created enough chances to take control well before the match ever reached penalties.
Azzedine Ounahi had one of the clearest openings of the first half, dragging his shot wide from the right side of the box, while Bart Verbruggen was forced into two excellent saves in quick succession to keep the match scoreless.
Holland’s best defensive moment came in the 60th minute. Achraf Hakimi broke free after a broken Dutch sequence and appeared to be racing through on goal, only for Micky van de Ven to recover brilliantly and take away the chance before the Morocco captain could punish them.
Shortly after, the second-half hydration break appeared to give Koeman’s side a much-needed reset. The Oranje looked calmer when play resumed, and Crysencio Summerville helped trigger the moment that changed the match.
His pressure sparked a counterattack, and although he was stopped near the edge of the box, Gakpo followed the play, collected the loose ball and fired past Yassine Bounou to put the Netherlands ahead.
From there, though, the Dutch invited pressure. Virgil van Dijk produced a crucial intervention to deny Saibari in the 80th minute, and for a while, it looked as if the Netherlands might grind out an ugly knockout win despite being outplayed for much of the night.
But the escape never came. Diop rose in stoppage time to head home Morocco’s equalizer, punishing a Dutch side that had dropped deeper and deeper.
Extra time brought more anxiety, with Soufiane Rahimi wasting a huge chance after working his way into the box, only for Verbruggen to produce another remarkable close-range save.
The goalkeeper had done almost everything he could, but the shootout exposed the Netherlands’ nerve. Teun Koopmeiners gave Koeman’s side the ideal start, but Justin Kluivert and Quinten Timber both missed badly, while Bounou denied Summerville. Saibari then stepped up after 120 bruising minutes and buried the decisive penalty.
For the Atlas Lions, the victory further cemented their growing reputation as European-slayers on the grandest stage, surviving a grueling 120-minute battle to defeat another major footballing heavyweight in a penalty shootout, while the Netherlands have to endure their crushing collapse and earliest World Cup exit of the modern era.
As expected, the stunning loss is already igniting fierce scrutiny over manager Ronald Koeman’s tactical negativity and curious substitutions, leaving fans to wonder why a squad overflowing with attacking talent was deployed so conservatively throughout the match.
