Morocco Cruise Past Canada to Reach FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals

Morocco became the first team to reach the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals after beating co-hosts Canada 3-0. With this latest victory, they also extended their unbeaten run in internationals to 10 matches.

Although Canada came into the match as underdogs, they made the brighter start. Their best chance in the opening 15 minutes fell to Tani Oluwaseyi, but his shot from inside the box was blocked by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Clear chances were few during the first half, but Canada looked more dangerous whenever they went forward. Alistair Johnston also came close, but his free header from 12 yards went straight at a Moroccan defender.

Morocco struggled to create chances before the break. Their only real effort on goal came from Soufiane Rahimi, whose long-range shot was comfortably saved by Maxime Crepeau.

After the restart, Morocco started the contest on a strong note and secured a crucial lead in the 50th minute.

A clever free-kick routine saw Achraf Hakimi find an unmarked Azzedine Ounahi just outside the box, and he calmly placed his shot into the bottom corner. Canada were left to regret the chances they had missed earlier in the match.

By the second-half cooling break, Canada's only shot on target was still Oluwaseyi's effort from the 11th minute. They wasted another good chance with just over 10 minutes left when Jonathan David sent a free-kick from the edge of the box well over the crossbar.

Canada coach Jesse Marsch then made several changes, and they had an immediate effect. Tajon Buchanan tested Yassine Bounou with a powerful long-range shot that the Moroccan goalkeeper pushed around the post as Canada stepped up the pressure.

As Canada pushed forward in search of an equalizer, Morocco struck again on the counterattack. Brahim Díaz broke down the right wing before cutting the ball back for Azzedine Ounahi, who smashed his shot into the roof of the net to score his second goal of the match.

Morocco have now won seven of their last nine knockout matches at major tournaments, showing once again how dangerous they can be in the later stages. Soufiane Rahimi then added a third goal with almost the final kick of the game to complete a convincing Moroccan victory.