Morocco defeats Canada 3-0, qualifies for 2026 World Cup quarterfinals
via SeneNews4 min read
Morocco secured its place in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals after a 3-0 victory over Canada in Houston, Texas. Azzedine Ounahi opened the scoring in the 50th minute, following a free-kick from captain Achraf Hakimi. Ounahi scored again in the 82nd minute, and Soufiane Rahimi added a third goal in the 90th+8 minute. This win makes Morocco the first team to qualify for the quarterfinals and eliminates Canada, one of the co-hosting nations. Morocco, a semi-finalist in the previous 2022 World Cup in Qatar where they were eliminated by France, could potentially face France again in the quarterfinals next Thursday in Boston, depending on the outcome of France's match against Paraguay.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by SeneNews.
Following Canada's 3-0 loss to Morocco in the World Cup 2026 round of 16, coach Jesse Marsch stated that his team was "better" in terms of "quality" and "impact" despite the heavy defeat. Marsch noted that prior to the tournament, reaching the round of 16 would have been considered satisfactory. He also believed that based on his team's performance, they had a good chance of winning the match against Morocco. The Canadian team, who had lost all six of their previous World Cup matches in 1986 and 2022, co-hosted this edition with the United States and Mexico. Marsch emphasized that Canada completely controlled the first half and was more aggressive and dominant at the start of the second half, creating scoring opportunities. He asserted that in terms of overall quality and impact, Canada was the better team. The American coach expressed hope that this World Cup experience would serve as a learning opportunity for future improvements. After the elimination, he challenged his players to understand that they are capable of maintaining such a high level of play consistently. Marsch concluded that the team proved it could compete with the world's best and that the new challenge is to maintain these standards for 90 minutes. He praised the players for their commitment and pride shown to the country.
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