Hakim: penalty

Morocco captain Ashraf Hakimi has confirmed that he is proud of his teammates for overcoming the ban of the Netherlands and reaching the eighth finals of the 2026 World Cup, noting that the victory of the Atlas Lions was deserved.

The Moroccan team qualified for the eighth finals of the 2026 World Cup today, early Tuesday morning, after beating the Netherlands (3-2) on penalties after a draw in regular and extra time (1-1) in the 32nd round of the tournament at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico.

Holland took the lead first in the 72nd minute through Liverpool star Cody Jacobo. But Morocco refused to give in and Issa Diop equalized in the 90+1 minute.pushing the match into two extra periods, then penalty kicks that put the Atlas Lions on the smile.

Ashraf Hakim said in an interview broadcast on BeIN Sports network after the match. “This is a well-deserved victory. We showed a winning spirit until the last minute of the game.”

He added: “We stayed true to the Moroccan identity and our style of play, even after going a goal down, and we managed to get back into the game.”

The Paris Saint-Germain star continued. “We created a lot of chances and the percentage of possession was in our favor, but unfortunately we didn’t score more goals.”

He continued. “When we got to the penalty shootout, I was confident we were going to win because we had Yasin Bounu.”

Bono blocked Holland’s fifth shot from the legs of Summerville and Ismail Sibari hit the back of the net to seal Morocco’s qualification for the round of 16.

“I am proud of all the players. We represent Africa and I want to thank the fans who traveled to Mexico to support us and our mission is to make them proud of us.”

The Moroccan team is preparing to face Canada in the quarterfinals of the World Cup next Saturday night.